Rediscovery
by fairytaleprincess03
Summary: Old friends from Stephanie's past come back and decide to help her reclaim part of herself that went missing and the pain of the past sends Stephanie on a hunt to solve a murder with Ranger right beside her. Lester/OC as well
1. Chapter 1

**AN: So, while I work on Summertime Antics, I'll also be working on this one. The idea popped into my head and has been going to war with SA's characters! I hope you guys enjoy this one also. It's not a sequel to either story, so hopefulyl no one will be confused. Also, I'm not too familiar with the FBI, so I'm using a bit of creative license with it, but I am doing a bit of research to try making it plausible. Anyway, please Read and Review!**

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**Rediscovery Chapter 1**

Tank sighed as he watched Stephanie sag down in her chair. The last few months had been tough for her. Ranger had one last mission to go on then his contract would be complete. He knew his friend was not planning on renewing his contract and would be able to focus entirely on RangeMan and hopefully Stephanie.

Pillow talk between himself and Lula lately had consisted of their shared concerned over Steph. There had been about a month after Ranger left that had her going to Vegas again to bring in a skip. The only problem was that Joe Morelli had followed her to Vegas, plied her with liquor and married her. Tank could still feel the utter fury in his blood when Stephanie called him in tears the next morning. She didn't know she had been married the previous evening and was frantic to annul it. She wanted nothing to do with Morelli. They had already been in their off again phase, and the stunt he had pulled with her in Vegas had thrown her into a _completely _off faze. She wasn't going to give him an inch.

Unfortunately, Morelli wasn't being all that helpful. The marriage had been annulled quickly, especially since Stephanie had locked herself in her hotel room and refused to come out until she heard Lester and Tank on the other side. They had gotten the marriage annulled on the grounds that Stephanie was intoxicated and was therefore mentally incapacitated and was not able to make a sound decision.

The Merry Men had known that had been the straw the broke the camel's back for Stephanie. All of them already knew that she was in love with Ranger, had been for a long time, but like their boss, shoving her head up her ass seemed to be a good way to deal with things in regards to the two of them.

When they had returned from Vegas, Stephanie had moved into one of the apartments on the fourth floor. Tank knew Ranger would have wanted her on seventh, but they could see something cracking around the edges for Stephanie. The question he, Lula, and everyone else who loved her was what?

Most of the men were surprised to see that she had moved in and was usually keeping at least one of them with her. Bobby commented on it, but said he couldn't blame her due to the fact that Morelli was claiming to anyone who would listen that she was his wife. Because he was such an upstanding citizen who would doubt him? Luckily for Stephanie, there were plenty who knew she would not get married in a drunken stupor. Since she always seemed to run into him whenever she went out, she had decided keeping Merry Men with her was the best idea. He was less likely to get physical if there was someone there to keep him from touching her.

Tank knew Ranger was due back any day and was going to really _enjoy _having to explain this situation to him. Lula had confided that she was seeing something fade from Stephanie's eyes lately. Almost like the Burg was getting their claws into her and latching onto her for life. Anyone who knew Stephanie knew that become the Burg Stepford Wife was not something she could mold herself to. But they could see parts of her cracking. The last big defiance was getting them to annul that false marriage.

"Boss is back." Ram's voice came over the phone's speaker.

"Thanks."

Tank was still watching Stephanie when Ranger came into his office. He saw her hand go to her neck in the way that told her Ranger was near. She looked over and saw him. He was watching her. His lips curled up at her. She flushed and suddenly bolted.

Ranger looked back at Tank. "Explain."

"Sit down, man." Tank sighed. When Ranger sat across from him, he proceeded to explain everything about Vegas and what kind of hell Morelli was causing. He told him that Stephanie moved into an apartment on four and that she was rarely out of RangeMan without someone, or out of the building at all.

"Why the hell wasn't someone with her?" Ranger demanded his eyes narrow and deadly.

Tank held his hands up in defense. "Honestly, none of us thought she'd need it. She even asked if it would be a good idea, but since you'd finally talked her into getting better training, we figured she'd be fine. Besides, Steph was more likely to get her FTA back here without a big scary man. The woman was just a flighty airhead who suddenly decided a trip to Vegas was a great idea. Steph got her back here once the situation with Morelli was fixed. In fact," Tank grinned at this part, "Her skip went ahead and helped Stephanie out by kicking the cop so hard in the balls on our way out that he was almost comatose on the floor."

Ranger felt himself relent a little. He had been thrilled when Stephanie finally agreed to let him and the men train her a little more. They'd all noticed she didn't have to call them for help as much anymore. Still. When he'd left, she and the cop had been on again. Hearing now that she was refusing to have anything to do with him made hope creep its way tightly around his heart.

"Ranger, man, there's more." Tank explained to him about what most of them had seen going on with Stephanie. "We're not sure what's causing it, past the Burg, but I thought you should be prepared."

"Thanks." Ranger stood and saw someone waiting for them. He cursed slightly. He'd forgotten to tell Tank about this. "You remember Jace Nelson?"

"Yeah. Good man. FBI now, isn't he?"

"Yeah. He's here. He needs to speak with us in a RangeMan capacity." Ranger motioned with his head toward the man walking to Tank's office.

Tank raised an eyebrow. "What about?"

Ranger didn't answer. Instead, they waited until Jace was in the office. They shut the door so they wouldn't be disturbed.

"Tank, Ranger, it's good to see you guys again." Jace nodded at them. They'd all served in the Rangers together. Jace had stayed in less time than they had, but he'd been a good comrade. Ranger could honestly admit he'd been sorry to see Jace leave. He would have liked to keep him in his unit longer and would've tried getting him for RangeMan afterward.

"You too, man." Tank stood and shook his hand. "How's the FBI?"

"Not quite as much fun as jumping out of planes into jungles." Jace chuckled. "But entertaining enough."

"What can we do for you, Jace?" Ranger asked leaning back against the wall with his arms folded over his chest.

Jace grinned at him. Ranger never beat around the bush. "We may have a new case coming our way and they want me at the forefront of the investigation. We won't have all the intel we need until next week at the earliest. They trust me to enlist people who could help solve this." He nodded towards both of them. "Luckily for both of you, I trust you more than the Trenton P.D."

"Why's that lucky for us?"

He pulled out a slip of paper from his jeans. He handed it to Ranger. "That's what they're prepared to offer you for your help."

Tank waited until Ranger handed him the slip. His eyebrows nearly shot off his head at the large figure. They could all retire on that. Whatever this case was, they were clearly in need of some large help. "We have a feeling it's a white-collar crime," Jace said, "But like I said, I don't have all the details and my superiors have already agreed that having RangeMan would be the best in the way of resources here in Trenton."

"We'll let you know." Ranger said.

Jace nodded. "I figured as much." He looked at his watch and grimaced. "I have to go. If I don't come back with a car filled with groceries like Shelia asked for I'm in for a dry spell."

Tank and Ranger chuckled as Jace let himself out of the office. He didn't get far though as he spotted someone. "Stephanie?"

Stephanie had walked back on five and was feeling more composed. She knew she was going to have to sit down and have a long talk with Ranger, but she had panicked when she saw him. She's taken a few moments to compose herself, but when she heard an old voice say her name, she'd whirled around. "Jace?"

"Stephanie Plum." He chuckled as he walked over and hugged her. "I haven't seen you since…"

"Yeah," She murmured hugging him back. She leaned back and grinned at him. "How's Sheila?"

"Good. Going to be right pissed as hell when she finds out I saw you." He teased. Jace stepped back and took a good look at her, taking in the edge in her eyes that he had seen in them almost ten years ago. He cupped her face in his hands. "How are you really?"

"Right as rain." She said with false cheeriness.

"Uh-huh." He gave her a brotherly peck on the forehead and hugged her again. "Steph, we're having a barbeque out at the old beach house. All weekend. You should meet us there."

"Oh, I don't think that's a good idea." Stephanie said. "I haven't seen you guys since we were twenty-one. I doubt they'd all want to see me."

"Stephanie." Jace looked at her with a firm look. "We've missed you like hell. Sheila and Pen, they're going to rip me a new one when they find out I've seen you again. And let me tell you, Ranger scares me less than those two!" Stephanie burst out laughing at the mental image that gave her.

"Wait, how do you know Ranger?" She asked.

"I was in the Rangers for a while. After…" His voice drifted off and she nodded. "Are you still doing gymnastics?"

"No." She shook her head. "Not in years."

"Like riding a bike, I bet." He teased, then got serious again. "Steph, come out with us for the weekend. It looks like you need it."

"I…"

"Mary Lou and Lenny are going to be there."

Her eyes narrowed at him. "Oh! Jace! You know sometimes you hit the right buttons!"

"Yeah, it's a gift." He chuckled. "So, yes, you'll be there?"

"Yes, I'll be there." She laughed. "Are you going to tell them?"

"Nope. I figured you showing up would make it more fun," He laughed. "I've got to get going. Grocery shopping or sleeping on the couch. Decisions, decisions!" Jace hugged her again. "Head out tomorrow. We'll let you leave Sunday. I'll even take the spark plugs out of your car."

Stephanie laughed. "Yes sir."

When Jace turned to leave, he saw the possessive look Ranger was giving Stephanie. _Interesting, _he thought with an inner grin. He could see the old pain sitting in his friend's eyes and knew that this weekend would hopefully help her some. Of course, what he'd failed to mention was that Ranger and his core team were also going to be out at the beach house. He had a feeling, a strong one, that there were some things Ranger didn't know about Stephanie that he probably should.

Ranger came over to Stephanie. She had a faraway look on her face. "Babe."

"Ranger." She breathed and hugged him tightly. He returned the grip, breathing in the scent from her hair. He wanted to haul her up to seven and make wild, passionate love to her to make up for the time gone and the misery she seemed to be feeling.

Stephanie buried her face in his neck for a moment, then pulled away to meet his eyes. "Welcome home, Batman. I've missed you." _And I hope you don't hate me for what Joe did, _she thought miserably.

"Missed you too, Babe." _I'm going to kill Joe for making your life miserable, _he thought determinedly.


	2. Chapter 2

**AN: Here is another chapter! Also, along with knowing nothing about the FBI, I also know nothing about gymnastics. I just happen to think it's a beautiful sport and love the fluidity in which gymnasts move. So if anyone has some advice on gymnasts, I'd love a private message to me on it! Anyway, enjoy! Please, Read and Review!**

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**Rediscovery**

**Chapter 2**

Stephanie crept downstairs to the gym. It was after midnight and no one was in it. She was sure someone was on monitors, so they'd know she was in there, but that didn't bother her one bit. She needed to get some tension out and after seeing Jace again after nine years, she decided to reconnect with some old habits. When he said that gymnastics was probably like riding a bike, she'd wanted to shake her head. Yes, she could remember everything she had to for it. She had done gymnastics for sixteen years before stopping.

Toeing off her shoes, she stood at the end of one of the mats. It wasn't quite as large as what she used to practice on but it was big enough to help ease some of the tension. She stretched silently and eyed the CD player. She knew it would go to a loud volume comfortably before bothering anyone.

Walking over to it she rifled through the CDs and laughed quietly when she found what she wanted. Ranger would probably have her checked out by Bobby if he knew she was going to use _Danse Macabre_ to help her out right now. She hit repeat on the song to make sure it was the only one she was using. What Ranger didn't know was that she'd often used classical music to work outs when she had done gymnastics.

Going back to the mat, she let herself fall into an old focus. Everything fell away from her. It was just her and the music and this mat. Her feet took on a thought process all on their own. All the pent up energy she had worked its way down until it was moving her. She was running, then she was flipping, her hands hitting the mat over and over as she tumbled across it. When she found herself at the other end of the mat, she grinned. Yeah, she still had it.

It had been a long time, and she was out of shape. She would feel it later, but she was going to call Ella and ask her to bring a tub of ice up to her apartment. She was going to have to soak her whole body for this. For now though the world could just leave her alone. As the music's tempo picked up she was moving across the mats again, tumbling, twirling, flipping, all with an old grace that seemed to be relieved at making an appearance again.

At the last second her focus shifted, she saw someone watching her and she tumbled, landed wrong and barely caught herself before slamming down on her wrist. She sat and flexed it, making sure it wasn't broken. She took deep breaths. Wow. She was exhausted now. She looked at the clock. No, it wasn't after midnight anymore. She'd been down there for two hours. Stephanie shook her head and smiled. She had forgotten the release it gave her.

The music stopped. Ranger came and sat next to her. "Babe."

"Did I wake you?" She raised her eyebrows. Not that it was likely, she thought. The gym was way below the seventh floor.

"We didn't get a chance to talk earlier." He said.

"Oh, well, you were busy and I had to finish my researches." She answered. It was true on both accounts.

"I know. I'm sorry." Ranger tucked a loose curl behind her ear.

"For what? You have a business to run." She was surprised.

"For Morelli."

"Oh, you sent him to Vegas to get me drunk and trick me into marriage?" She asked mildly.

"No." He ground out. "But someone should have been there to…"

"It's taken care of, Ranger." Stephanie said quietly. Then laughed. "Who would've thought that it would take _that _for me to willingly take men with me every time I leave?"

"Babe—"

"Ranger," She sighed and shook her head. Unconsciously, she began stretching her wrist out, old habits deciding to make a big comeback on her right now. "You were out on a mission because you had to be. The only person to blame is Morelli. The only thing I want is…" She stopped talking and shook her head. Standing she started moving away from him.

Ranger caught her arm and brought her back to him. "The only thing you want is what?" He asked quietly.

Biting her lip she blinked back tears as she stared at his chest, unwilling to look him in the eyes. "The only thing I want is a tub full of ice. I haven't done that much tumbling in nine years. I'm going to feel it badly if I don't take care of it now."

His eyes narrowed at her. He knew full well that was not what she was going to say, but let it slide. "Alright. I'll have the tub in seven filled for you."

"I'm staying on four." She objected.

"Tub on seven is bigger." He replied.

Damn. He had her there. She nodded and followed him up to seven. In moments there were a couple men bringing buckets of ice. When her ice bath was ready she stripped down and took a deep breath and stepped into it. It took everything she had to keep herself from screaming at the coldness of it all. She leaned her head back on the edge of the tub and let herself relax as much as possible.

"Need anything else, Babe?"

"Bananas." She replied without thinking. There was silence. She opened her eyes and saw him staring at her like she was an alien. "Potassium."

"Babe."

Steph smirked at him as he left. She could never explain why working out always gave her a craving for bananas. She closed her eyes again and sighed. Tomorrow was Friday and she had agreed to go out to see Jace and everyone. A small part of her was nagging her that this was a bad idea, that she should just stay home and just keep hiding from all of it. But there was another part of her, the part that seemed to be bitch slapping the nag in her, which wanted the comfort from her old friends.

She would go, she knew she would.

"Babe."

"Hm?"

"You've been in there for half an hour."

"Oh." She looked around for a towel and found Ranger holding it out for her to step out of the tub and wrap her in it. She held her hand out for it, but he simply raised an eyebrow at her. Sighing she stood and let him wrap her in the towel.

"Gymnastics, babe?"

"Yeah." She said as she walked to his closet. She knew there were a few things in here that were hers. "You know me, lots of energy. Mom wanted me to have an outlet until she finished transforming me into the perfect Burg woman. She didn't like me trying to fly off our roof."

"How long did you do it?"

"Sixteen years."

"When did you stop?"

"Nine years ago."

"Why?"

She didn't answer him. Instead she asked, "Do you mind if I take tomorrow off? I have to do some things, and I won't be back until Sunday night."

"Where are you going?"

"See some old friends." She whispered. She couldn't bring herself to lie to Ranger. She never could. She wanted to put everything on the table for him, but with everything going on with Joe, and Ranger's "My life doesn't lend itself to a relationship" crap she wasn't sure where they stood.

"Sure." Her eyes met his and he gave her a smile. "Babe, I'm not going to hurt you."

Stephanie smiled. "Thanks, Batman. You've always been wonderful to me."

…

She drove down the long winding road toward her destination. She was nervous as hell. Jace said they all missed her and that they had wanted to see her but part of her was terrified that she would show up and they would all hate her. It was a tough idea to deal with she decided.

Her trip took her about three hours away from Trenton. She'd managed to evade being caught by Joe, her phone was left in her apartment on four and she had grudgingly allowed trackers to be put on her car on the chance that something happened. Actually, it was more that she had figured out where they kept putting them on her car and now the Merry Men were having more fun finding new places to hide them to keep her on her toes. Steph knew all too well that there were some she was not going to find.

The sun was slowly beginning its descent down the sky and in the summer everything looked beautifully lush and green. She smiled. The location of the barbeque brought back sweet and wonderful memories for her. It also brought back some old painful ones.

Steph knew she was being watched by all her friends. She was well aware of the fact that they knew something was wrong. Unfortunately, because they hadn't been there, she knew they wouldn't understand. The ones who had been there would and maybe, just maybe, they could help.

Joe's idiotic act of macho-ness had sent her over the top. Her mother had called her, thrilled to pieces when she found out from Joe what happened. What Joe had failed to tell her mother was that the marriage had been annulled before they were even out of Vegas. Stephanie was still irate whenever she talked to her mother because the conversation always turned to when she was quitting her job to stay at home and take care of Joe and start giving him babies. Her insides seemed to know that the idea of that was repulsive because she always got off the phone wanting to throw up. Helen Plum was not giving up on her daughter marrying Joe Morelli and becoming a Burg Wife.

But that was how it had always been, she thought aimlessly driving down the road, automatically taking turns her subconsciously remembered. She and her sister and every other girl in the Burg were groomed to do just that. There were those who rebelled, but not many. She had rebelled, but she felt herself cracking. What would happen if she gave in and allowed Joe and her mother to have the complete control over her they wanted? _You would wither away and die a miserable death of nonexistence_, her inner voice accused her. _Those who know you know that's not what you want—not who you are._

Stephanie shuddered as she came to a stop in front of a beach house. The house was nestled beside some cliffs overlooking the ocean. The three story house was large enough to house a small army. Her nerves were jumping around like crazy as she stared up at it. Would it be too late to back track and pretend she was never there?

A tap on her window made her jump and give a small shriek. Jace was grinning at her as she rolled down the window. "No backing out now, Steph. If you do I'll tell Pen and Sheila where you work so they can go rip you a new one."

Stephanie glared at him but got out of the car. Before she could blink, he snagged the keys out of her hand and marched her toward everyone. He wrapped an arm around her shoulders in a brotherly sort of way. They circled the house to the back of the house where the barbeque was already starting.

"Look who I found hanging out up front." Jace called.

A tall, black haired woman with sharp green eyes looked over at them and grinned. "Well, I'll be fucked sideways! Stephanie Plum! Where the hell have you been?" She yelled as she bounded over and hugged her.

Stephanie laughed. "Hey, Pen, how are you?"

"That's all I get?" Penelope stepped back and gave her a mock glare. "A 'Hey Pen, how are you?' How miserable! After all the shit you and I did, all I get is a polite hello?"

"Fine," Stephanie laughed again. "What's his name and how quickly did you get out of his bed this morning?"

"That's more like it!" Penelope hugged her again.

"Pen, move." Sheila shoved their friend out of her way and hugged Stephanie. She stepped back and took a good look at her. "I'm so happy you came! We've missed you!" Sheila grinned. "Think of all the fun we're going to have while we're here!"

"It's only for the weekend." Stephanie said innocently.

Mary Lou and Lenny had shown up earlier in the day to help get things ready. They had left the kids at home with Mary Lou's parents. Mary Lou looked at Stephanie, raised an eyebrow and asked, "When has that ever stopped us from causing trouble?"

Something inside snapped, and Stephanie felt free again.

"Oh, oh, hot damn!" Pen looked like she was bouncing. She gave Jace a slight punch in the arm. "Jace, you old softie, you brought me lots of yummy men to play with this weekend. Oh god, I'm not going to be able to walk after this!"

Jace choked on a laugh as Stephanie turned to see who Penelope was talking about. Her jaw dropped as she saw Ranger and his core team walking toward them. "Ranger?"

"Babe."


	3. Chapter 3

**AN: Thanks for the reviews everyone! It makes me feel all warm and fuzzy inside, lol. Hope y'all enjoy this installment!**

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**Rediscovery**

**Chapter 3**

Penelope let out a low whistle taking in all the men in front of her. They were all gorgeous in a manly rough sort of way. One of them in particular made her want him to do dirty things to her. _Good lord, _she thought giddily, she was feeling like a teenager with her first crush!

"Pen, they're not packs of meat." Sheila said blatantly.

The one she was eyeballing grinned, "We could be for you, Gorgeous."

"Oh, you don't want her, Les," Steph turned and gave Penelope a wicked grin. Her eyes narrowed at Stephanie, but she continued, "She's worse than you. She'll chew you up and spit you out before the nights over."

"Hey!"

Mary Lou laughed. "Aint that the truth!"

"Must be why you do so well in court." Lenny teased as he walked by carrying an ice chest.

The burst of laughter from everyone had Penelope grinning. She threw her hair over her shoulder. "What can I say? I'm a hard woman to please."

"Jace," Stephanie said loudly, "You didn't tell me Ranger was coming."

"Really?" Jace looked innocently around. "Hm. Imagine that. I could've sworn I'd given out the guest list. Must have slipped my mind." He walked away snickering at the glare she was giving him, then called over his shoulder, "By the way, I've got your spark plugs!"

"Wait, you knew Stephanie was coming?" Sheila planted herself in front of her husband, hands on hips, eyes narrowed. Jace looked over his shoulder and saw Stephanie grinning triumphantly.

"Damn." He muttered. "Dry spell here I come." He looked back at his wife, "I wanted to surprise you."

She rolled her eyes at him. "Yeah, yeah." She looked at Stephanie again. "Steph, guys, come on, I'll show you where you're sleeping."

Stephanie and Ranger, with the Merry Men followed Sheila into the house. Steph stopped when she was in the foyer and stared at a large painting that greeted everyone as they entered the house. She felt her throat tighten but she couldn't take her eyes away.

"Damn, Bomber, is that you?" Bobby asked. She nodded.

Sheila paused and looked at the painting. "It's my best one. Actually, my best one is of Jace, but since that one displays him in all his glory, that one is kept to myself." She grinned.

"Wow." Tank looked at the painting.

Sheila had captured Stephanie perfectly. Her blue eyes stood out sharply against everything else in the portrait. The look on her face said "Fuck with me, I dare you." There was a smirk to her lips that held promise. She was squatting down in the painting, wearing all black. Leather high heeled boots, leather pants and leather vest that made for the entire shirt itself. With the exception of her face the viewer only saw the side profile of Stephanie. Sheila had captured Stephanie's spirit. The background of the painting had her on a cliff, against sunset. Out of her back they could see the protruding of wings trying to grow.

"I didn't know you'd finished the painting." Stephanie said quietly.

Sheila shrugged. "Shit happens. We all had to deal with things. Now, let's get you to those rooms. Actually, Steph, your room is still yours. You know where it's at. The boys here, I need to get them situated. Go out and help Pen."

Stephanie chuckled but did as she was told. When she got outside she found Penelope standing in front of the barbeque staring at it with disdain. "I've been sent to help."

"Good. You light the damn thing."

"Uh-uh." Stephanie shook her head. "Last time we tried this we nearly set the forest on fire."

"That was ten years ago." Penelope retorted. "I'm sure both of us have gotten much better."

"Okay." She nodded. They stared at it for a moment then got to work. They added coals and Stephanie got the lighter fluid. She squirted a bit, but it didn't look like enough so she added more, and then some more. Penelope lit a match and tossed it onto the grill.

Flames shot toward the sky. Penelope and Stephanie dove away from the grill. Steph threw a glare at Penelope. "I _told _you that we shouldn't be doing this!"

"Wow." Penelope looked up at the flames that had yet to come down. "Guess we'll just have to wait and see what happens."

Stephanie couldn't contain the laughter that bubbled up. Pen looked at her funny for a moment then joined her. When they calmed down, they walked over to the beach where the water and sand met. They kicked off their shoes and let their feet soak up the water. They could hear the men exclaiming over the large flame that still had yet to shrink. They broke into giggles at the sound of it.

Mary Lou and Sheila worked their way over. Soon all the men were working the grill while the four women sat together on the beach.

"I miss her." Penelope said finally.

"We all do." Mary Lou replied.

"I can't help but feel guilty." Stephanie admitted.

"For what?"

"Living when she doesn't get to."

"Steph, it's not our fault she's gone." Sheila said firmly.

"I know…it's just…tough."

"We all reacted differently." Mary Lou pointed out. "We'd be robots not to have been affected by losing Kaylee the way we did."

"She didn't deserve what happened to her." Stephanie said bitterly.

"No one does." Penelope replied wrapping an arm around her shoulders.

"Ladies!" Jace called.

They turned and saw him setting a bottle of Patron with four shot glasses. They grinned at each other and headed back up to the table where Jace was. The other men watched interested.

"Careful, Bomber. Patron is stronger than your margaritas." Ram called over.

"Oh, she can handle it." Pen laughed.

"She has no tolerance for alcohol."

"Oh really?" Penelope looked at Stephanie. "And when did that…intolerance start?"

Stephanie simply smiled and shook her head. Each woman picked up a shot glass. Mary Lou spoke. "For Kaylee?"

"For Kaylee." The other three echoed and threw back the shots.

The dinner was served up quietly. The steaks and potatoes were delicious. Stephanie hid her surprise at seeing Ranger eating the food. When he caught her sneaking a look at him, he simply gave a small grin and took another bite of steak.

"So…" Lester finally asked, "Who's Kaylee?"

"She was a great friend." Sheila replied.

"She was quiet." Stephanie said. "But when she went wild, she went _wild_."

"She'd have to in order to keep up with you and Pen." Mary Lou laughed.

"We were all bad when we went wild," Sheila chuckled as she curled up against Jace. "But Kaylee… she was like our little sister."

"You guys have to understand that messing with the five of them was the worst thing you could do." Jace explained. He knew they would understand. They had that type of bond as well. Being in the military had enforced it.

"Where is she?" Lester asked.

"She was murdered nine years ago." Stephanie said flatly, her voice void of any emotion.

"They catch him?"

"No." Penelope blew out a breath. "There wasn't enough evidence to convict anyone."

Ranger watched Stephanie carefully. He could see that Kaylee's death affected her a lot more than she let on. The feeling that she was succumbing to the Burg, her mother and Morelli because of her friend's death ate away at his gut.

They finished eating in silence. When the women walked into the house, the men sat around the fire. All of them were thinking of what had been discussed over dinner. Lenny and Jace knew they were being watching, waiting for answers.

Jace took a drink of his beer and started talking, "The girls all met in college. They were all fierce. Sheila, she painted then and continues to do so now. Pen was always planning on being a lawyer. She loves to argue so a court room is the perfect place for her."

"Mary Lou just wanted to do something." Lenny said. "She wasn't sure what it was, but she wanted to do something with her life outside the Burg."

"Kaylee studied English. Her passion was literature." Jace fell silent, looking like he was lost in the past a bit.

"Steph?" Bobby asked.

Lenny and Jace both suddenly laughed. Jace spoke first. "Steph was…"

"Wild." Lenny supplied. "You've all heard stories about how wild Morelli was in his youth. No one hears the stories about Steph though."

"She was something else then." Jace tipped his head back, looked up at the stars and grinned at the memories. "She was determined to stay away from the Burg. Wanted nothing to do with it."

"Penelope said she could handle her liquor, is that true?" Ram asked.

Before any of the men could answer, they heard a loud noise from inside the house. Jace cocked his head and recognized the noise. "Come on, I think what they're watching is going to be better to explain them than Lenny or me."

They went into the large living room where the wall sported a large flat screened TV. Penelope was laughing while Stephanie was trying to dive for the DVD player.

"We so don't need to watch this!" She exclaimed.

"We so do." Penelope danced out of her way. "It's time for an overdue reminder of who we are."

"I know who I am!" Stephanie snapped.

Penelope stopped moving. She looked at her then shook her head. "No you don't. Not anymore. I've only seen you for a few hours, but you're a shell of yourself, Stephanie Plum, not who you are."

"You're so sure of yourself." Stephanie felt like she'd been slapped, but she knew what Penelope was saying was true.

"Of course I am. It's why I am a damn good lawyer." Penelope replied.

Stephanie sat sullenly on the couch. Her neck tingled. She wasn't sure if she really wanted Ranger to see this side of her, but she couldn't stop him, but when he sat next to her and wrapped an arm around her shoulders in a comforting way, she felt herself relax.

Penelope watched the exchange briefly, smiled and hit play on the DVD player. The video started…

…_They were sitting in the gym at the university. Stephanie was standing in the middle of the gym with the instructor. She looked annoyed, while he patiently explained, "Stephanie, you're not going to pass if you can't do this self-defense. After the last few attacks on campus, we feel it's good that all the students know how to defend themselves."_

_"Come on, Steph!" Penelope shouted, "Just cooperate and rack him or something!"_

_"And don't listen to Penelope." The instructor told her. "Look, we'll work on a punch."_

_"I'm not going to punch you." Stephanie said._

_"You'll pass if you punch me like you mean it." He said._

_"But I won't mean it; therefore, punching you is useless." She retorted._

_"Stephanie!" He sounded exasperated._

Lester grinned at Stephanie. "Some things don't change, do they, Beautiful?"

She stuck her tongue out at him.

_"Wait I've got it!" A young curly blonde haired girl with brown eyes grinned at them. "Stephanie! What about Morelli? You'd punch him right? After all, he fucked you in the Tasty Pastry behind the counter and left you there! Wrote poems about you all over town then disappeared after that!"_

_Stephanie whirled around and punched the instructor._

_From where they were all sitting they could hear the crack of bone. Sheila was over there in a quick second, looking at the instructor._

_"Shit, Kaylee." Penelope was giggling beside the camera. "I didn't think you'd use that low a blow to make her do it."_

_"Someone had to." Kaylee smiled. _

_The instructor was holding his nose. "Steph, you pass. For the whole semester."_

_Sheila laughed as they walked up to their friends. "She broke his nose."_

_Penelope fell off the bleacher laughing. "Only you."_

_"For Morelli's sake I hope he never sees you again." Kaylee giggled. "You'll probably break more than his nose."_

_"She broke his leg with her dad's Buick." Mary Lou pointed out._

_"She'll do more damage than that." Sheila said._

_Stephanie was looking annoyed. "Morelli's a prick. I hope his dick falls off."_

_"Geeze, Steph, bitter much?" Jace's voice cut through. He was holding the camera that was aimed at the group of them._

_"No." She shook her head. "The Morelli's are a bad bunch. They're all a bunch of womanizing drunks. I swear… if I ever end up on my back under Joe Morelli again, one of you better just shoot me dead."_

Mary Lou grinned. "Anyone got a gun I can borrow?"

"Are you fucking kidding me?" Penelope exclaimed. She turned a look of disbelief at Stephanie. "Really? We need to kill you now?"

"Things change." Stephanie defended.

"Yeah." Mary Lou nodded. "Things change so much that he followed you to Vegas, got you drunk and tricked you into marrying him."

Stephanie was shooting daggers at her. She felt Ranger tense beside her and felt his fingers slowly start massaging his neck.

"He did _what?_" Sheila looked shocked. Looking at her husband, she said, "Baby, I need to borrow your gun."

"Um…no." He replied. "I don't think so."

"You could pretend not to know." She offered. "After all, all of you guys have to pretend not to know things already. How would this be any different?"

All the men looked at each other. They couldn't actually argue with that point. They had done their jobs in the Rangers and had kept silent about what they'd done and seen.

"He's a cop." Tank said. "Something like that might get noticed."

"It's okay," Penelope rationalized. "Sheila, you kill him and I can defend you in court."

"On what grounds?"

"Insanity."

"Sounds plausible."

"Completely…you might have to spend a few years in an asylum. Is that cool?"

"Do I get visitation rights from my husband?"

"Maybe. Depends on the level of insanity we can deliver."

"Sure. I'm free Monday."

"Shit," Jace ran a hand over his face. "Are you two really planning on killing him?"

Sheila gave him a wide eyed look. "Killing who?"

"Sheila!"

"I don't know what you're talking about, Jace." She grinned and kissed him.

Stephanie was shaking with laughter. She fell into Ranger's side chuckling. Despite the years that had passed, they still joked around like nothing had changed. They still had her back. She had missed them, and sharing this part of her life with Ranger seemed…right, she decided.

"Dude. Look at that. Looks like Steph was getting ready to work for RangeMan when she was younger." Bobby chuckled as a new scene from their old days crept up.

_"Pen, what are you doing?" Kaylee whispered._

_"I'm trying to get closer." Penelope whispered back. She was holding the camera._

_In front of them, Stephanie was sitting down across from her mother at a small chair. Valerie set next to her mother looking like the perfect little clone of their mother. Stephanie on the other hand, was looking every bit defiant. She was wearing black cargos and a black spaghetti strapped tank top. One of her legs was stretched out and her arms were folded over her chest._

_"Are you trying to hear them?" Kaylee asked._

_"Yeah. I bet her mother will pick up volume in a second." Penelope managed to get closer and they could hear the conversation loudly._

_"Stephanie, if you're going to insist on playing these games then you can come home. Your sister is marrying a nice lawyer soon. It's time we get you settled down." Helen said._

_"I'm not done." Stephanie snapped. "I'm finishing college."_

_"Why do I keep getting calls about you at clubs and bars, acting like a…a…"_

_"Prostitute." Valerie said stiffly._

_Stephanie's jaw dropped. "Really? You think I'm that easy? Fuck."_

_"Watch your language!" Helen snapped. "I didn't raise you to have a mouth of a sailor!"_

_"Well, since your source of information on my life is via Burg Network, then you can leave and wait until someone else calls you." Stephanie growled._

_"You're out of control!" Helen informed her. "You are not the daughter I raised. Everyone in the Burg—"_

_"Can kiss my skinny white ass!" Stephanie stood so quickly the chair she was sitting in fell over. "I don't give a fuck what the stupid Burg and their fucking Grapevine thinks of me! You clearly think I'm nothing more than a prostitute thanks to them. Good to know you trust your own daughter. If I'm that much of a disappointment then just go the hell away and we'll just be nice on holidays, shall we?"_

_"I'm not finished with you!" Her mother said coldly._

_"Yeah, well, I'm finished with you!" Stephanie strode away…_

"Maybe we're done for the night on memory lane," Mary Lou said quietly. Penelope nodded and turned off the DVD. Stephanie was staring at the screen. She could feel the old rebellion stirring inside her.

Stephanie let out a loud yawn. "Probably need to head to bed." She mumbled. Ranger stood and picked her up with ease and walked out of the living room with her.

Penelope watched them leave. Facing everyone she asked, "Are they in love with each other?"

"Yes." Came multiple replies.

"Then why is she married to someone else?"

"She's not." Lester said. "It's been annulled, but he's being a prick and telling anyone who will listen that she's his wife."

"Hm." Penelope smiled after a moment. "I'm sure glad I'm moving to Trenton next week. I can't wait to meet that jackass."

…

Ranger deposited Stephanie on the large four poster bed. Removing her shoes, he tucked her in and began to leave when she said softly, "Ranger, stay, please."

"Babe." He said quietly, kicking off his shoes. He closed the door and walked towards the beds, stripping off his shirt in the process. Crawling under the covers, he wrapped her in his arms.

"Thank you." She murmured.

"Babe." He nuzzled her hair. "Where's that part of you gone to?"

"She died when Kaylee died." Stephanie whispered. "I think."

"Losing someone you care about is never easy." He said quietly. "But that part still exists in you. You wouldn't have become a bounty hunter without it."

"God, Ranger, it hurt." She sniffled. "When Kaylee died, it was like all of us were shocked into a cold dose of reality. None of us knew what to do…"

"So you went back to what you knew." He surmised. "And let the Burg sweep you up into it."

Stephanie nodded. "But now I'm exhausted."

"Babe. It's time for you to let yourself out and fight back again." Ranger kissed her softly. His tongue touched hers, caressing it like a lover. She moaned softly and pressed herself to him. They held each other tightly, doing nothing more than kissing quietly. Finally, Ranger broke the kiss and rested his head on hers. "Babe. Were you really wild?"

She laughed quietly. "Ranger, you wouldn't have been able to keep up with me."

"I hope we watch more videos tomorrow." He said earning a giggle out of her.


	4. Chapter 4

**AN: Everyone! I have to tell you I love your reviews! You've all turned me into a review whore and I love it! Your support is fantastic! I don't own them, I just wanna play, so I do. :-) Please read and review! :-D**

* * *

**Rediscovery**

**Chapter 4**

Stephanie shuffled into the kitchen the next morning, yawning loudly and running a hand through her tousled hair. She felt refreshed, which was from either finally seeing her old friends after such a long time or Ranger holding her all night. Probably it was from both, she decided.

"Morning, sunshine." Penelope offered her a cup of coffee as she leaned back against the counter with her own.

"Morning." She replied taking the cup. "Where are all the men?"

"Running."

Stephanie grinned. If Ranger came back looking all hot and sweaty… Penelope was laughing. "Oh, honey, please tell me you're tapping that."

"No." She shook her head. "We're friends."

Penelope raised an eyebrow. "How good of friends?"

"Honestly? He's my best friend." She whispered. "But he doesn't do relationships."

"Sex doesn't have anything to do with relationships." Pen replied. Then men were coming starting to come up the stairs to the deck. And they all looked good enough to eat, she decided. "Used to be a time where you could give me a run for my money on men."

"Yeah, well, aimless one night stands don't cut it anymore."

"Mm, not if he's bad in bed." Penelope nodded. The back door opened. "Find a man who can make you scream for hours…well it might not due to make him a one night stand, but you'd be pretty satisfied for a long time."

"Shit, Pen." Stephanie let out a dry laugh. "You act like you want me to go back into sex, drugs and rock 'n' roll."

"Maybe not the drugs." Pen grinned at the half naked men filing past, all of which were pausing to observe the two of them.

Stephanie looked over her shoulder and felt her mouth dry out when she took in Ranger's magnificent form. She could just imagine dragging him upstairs and giving him more of a work out. And she knew he could have her screaming his name for house. Past experience told her so. Nope, she decided. One night stand with Ranger again was definitely not going to cut it.

"Beautiful, you did drugs?" Lester looked shocked.

"It was college, Les, I did everything." She looked innocently at them all.

"What does everything entail?"

"Oh you know, lots of sex, lots of drinking, some drugs, making out with other girls…" She waved her hand dismissively, hiding the grin that was begging to burst out.

"You made out with other girls?" Lester asked.

"Oh yeah," Penelope wrapped an arm around Steph's waist. "You should've seen it. There was a wet t-shirt contest going on and we made quite a few hundred dollars from the boys wanting to watch us make out."

"We definitely didn't go home alone that night." Steph recalled.

"Fuck. I need a cold shower," Lester growled hustling out of the kitchen at an alarmingly quick pace with all the men behind him feeling the same pain.

Ranger waited. He looked at Stephanie with his almost smile. "Babe."

"Batman?" She continued to look innocently at him.

He leaned over the counter and caught her chin with his hand. He kissed her softly. "You never disappoint."

When he left the room, she looked at Penelope and they burst out laughing. The hard laughter they went through felt good and releasing for Stephanie. She felt things ease away even more. "That was definitely a fun summer." She wheezed.

"Yeah," Penelope laughed. "Hon, Ranger might not do relationships, but whew! Did that man grow possessive in a span of two seconds hearing about your wild youth."

"I don't see why. He had his wild days."

Penelope took their coffee mugs and rinsed them out in the sink. "Because he loves you. I can see it. I'm not an idiot."

"Did you bring those up to get a rise out of him?"

"No…I did it to get a rise of out Lester. God, he's magnificent." Penelope sighed. "He makes me want him to do dirty, dirty things to me." She shifted, very aware of the flash of heat in her lower body. "But, while I was trying, and getting, a rise out of Lester, I was able to watch Ranger also. He wants you."

Stephanie sighed. "Pen…"

"Morning!" Sheila chirped. "I'm making French Toast. Who wants to help?"

"Not happening." Stephanie and Penelope said together. Between the two of them, burning down the kitchen was more likely to happen.

Sheila laughed. "I didn't think so. Mary Lou will be down soon to help. What are you two going to do?"

"Cliff diving." Penelope replied instantly.

"Really? Good thing you have time before breakfast!"

"What?" Stephanie looked at her surprised.

"Give us thirty minutes to get up there, Sheila. Then come out and see if we've still got it." Penelope grabbed Stephanie's hand and dragged her out of the house. They headed towards a path that would lead them up to cliffs that loomed over the house like a safeguard. Whenever they came to the beach house over the summers, they would take turns diving off the cliff into the ocean. For Stephanie it had been the thrill of adrenaline, the feel of flying that made her do it. Penelope just loved the risk of it.

"So, I'm moving to Trenton." Penelope said conversationally as they walked through a well beaten path.

"Really? That'll be fun!" Stephanie smiled.

"I think so." Penelope grinned. Her grin faded though. "Steph, are you really happy being in the Burg?"

"Sometimes." She admitted. "If I hadn't been I the Burg, I would never have met Ranger, and I just can't imagine not knowing Ranger."

"But everything else?"

"I've made some bad choices, Pen. I married less than a year after Kaylee died; divorced him ten minutes later for banging a bitch on my dining room table. A couple years ago I was desperate for money and blackmailed my cousin for a job as a bounty hunter."

"You met Ranger that way?"

"Yeah."

"So, then perhaps becoming a bounty hunter wasn't a bad choice."

"It brought Morelli back in my life." She told her about him being her firs skip. She told her the difference between Joe Morelli and the rest of the men in his family. How she'd been surprised at the domestic side of him. She explained the on/off again attitude of their relationship and explained why it was completely off now.

"Okay, so letting Morelli back in your bed was a bad idea." Penelope said. "But I have to admit, it's a little surprising that you would do it in the first place."

"I know." Stephanie sighed. "I'm trying to figure out what I was thinking. I'm pretty sure I wasn't though. At this point, I'm spending most of my time living at RangeMan working. Ranger likes to send someone with me in case something goes really wrong with some of the skips Vinnie gives me, but with the way Morelli has been acting since we got back from Vegas, I feel uncomfortable even leaving RangeMan half the time."

"Run him over again." Penelope suggested. "Maybe he'd get the message that way."

Stephanie laughed. "I don't think so."

"Steph…do you still want to fly?"

"Yeah."

"Does anyone in the Burg believe in you?"

"Um… Dad, Grandma Mazur, Mary Lou, Connie, Lula…"

"Ranger?"

"Makes me feel like I could fly to the moon." Steph whispered.

"Then this is what we're going to do," Penelope said decisively. "When you dive off this cliff, you start reclaiming yourself. Do you hear me? It's time you get your attitude back and tell the Burg they can go fuck themselves."

"Ranger said something like that last night."

"Good. I'd kick his ass for you if he hasn't said something already." Penelope replied. Stephanie muffled a laugh at the idea of Penelope trying to kick Ranger's ass.

"You're such a bully sometimes." Steph sighed.

"No, I'm your friend, and I was your friend before you went into this change and lost sight of yourself. Ranger sees it. I get that from him. He sees who you were, who you are supposed to be. No one else, except Mare and Sheila, might. So it's time you kicked this defenseless little thing out of your body and reclaim yourself. So, Ms. Bad Ass, you gonna jump?" Penelope folded her arms over her chest and grinned in challenge.

…

"Hello my beautiful wife." Jace said sidling up to her and wrapping his arms around her waist. "Do you know what it does to me when I see you cooking something so delicious?" He whispered dirty things in her ears, making her give a sultry laugh.

She turned to face him. "If there are left overs, we'll sneak off with some of it so you can do some of those dirty things to me."

Mary Lou chuckled. "Guys, that was a visual I didn't need." Lenny was walking into the kitchen with Ram and Tank behind him.

"Something smells delicious." Tank sighed appreciatively. "Sheila, you're a wonder in the kitchen. If you ever get tired of Jace here, call me."

"Thanks, Tank." Sheila laughed. "Where are the others?"

"They're coming down. Thanks to Stephanie and Penelope cold showers were needed." Ram answered.

"Oh, they must have been talking about that wet t-shirt contest and their make out session during it." Sheila said. "Men were fighting each other to take them home." She saw the uncomfortable looks all the men were giving her. She laughed. "Sorry guys."

"I was sort of hoping they were making it up." Ram groaned.

"Why?"

"It just doesn't sound like Bomber." He answered.

Sheila shrugged. "Steph had her wild side. Why is it so hard to believe?"

"It's not a side she shows anymore." Mary Lou said as the rest of the guys came into the dining room. "They only know the side the Burg has made her show."

"Submissive with a side of rebellion." Lenny said kissing his wife. "Gotta tell you, didn't think she would ever submit."

"Oh!" Sheila whirled around. "It's been nearly thirty minutes! We have to go outside."

"Why?" Jace asked as she grabbed his hand and dragged him outside.

"Cliff diving." Was all she said.

The group gathered out on the deck and looked up as two women took running leaps off the cliffs and turned them into perfectly executed dives. Cheers and whistles broke out from everyone as they hit the water with barely any splash from either of them.

"That was awesome." Lester said shaking his head. "I've never seen Beautiful do anything like that."

Mary Lou grinned. "I get the feeling you're all in for a large awakening when we get back to Trenton."

Ranger knew Mary Lou was right and decided he liked Penelope. He could see the person Stephanie could be, and wanted to pry her out, but he had had feeling that Penelope had just bullied Stephanie into acknowledging what she was doing. Or not doing, depending on how you looked at it. He was ready to support his Babe no matter what. He had seen the cracking around the edges of her eyes when he'd come back from his mission and knew that Tank was right, but while they were here, he had seen some tension ease out of her. In less than twelve hours she had relaxed more than he'd ever seen her relax. _Sometimes_, he reflected, _you needed the people who went through the bad times with you_. It was something he understood. Bobby, Tank, Lester…they had been there for him and vice versa when it came to missions. There was a sisterhood among these women that was going to save his Babe, just like the brotherhood among him and his men had saved them at one point or another.

Penelope and Stephanie came out of the waves and walked back up to the beach house laughing and dripping wet. Stephanie had felt like she was flying as she dove into the water. The sudden urge to go stand in the middle of the Burg and yell at everyone there to go fuck themselves was overwhelming.

Penelope smiled at the men staring at her and Stephanie. They were all eyeing the two of them hungrily. She raised her eyebrows. "Like what you see boys?"

Their clothes were soaked through, clinging to their bodies, giving them a very good appreciation for their bodies. Lester spoke before the rest of them, "Does this view include a repeat performance from your wet t-shirt contest?"

"Santos!" Ranger barked, causing everyone to start laughing.

"Come on, Rangeman, you can't say you wouldn't want to watch that!" Lester defended himself.

"Mats, Monday morning."


	5. Chapter 5

**AN: I don't own them, boo. I just get to play with them, yay! Thanks for your reviews everyone! I love them. I'm addicted to them now, lol. Enjoy the chapter, and please review! :-D**

* * *

**Rediscovery**

**Chapter 5**

There was an annoying pounding invading her dream. The dream itself had been going wonderfully, and it was currently starring a certain Cuban who was sleeping next to her. Then pounding started happening. Pounding that wasn't supposed to be part of the dream.

"Uh…time is it?" Stephanie growled against Ranger's bare chest.

"Four-thirty." He answered groggily.

"In the morning?" She sounded appalled that a slight chuckle emerged from his throat.

"Stephanie Plum!" Penelope was on the other side of the door. "I know you're in there! Get your ass out of bed!"

"Ignore her." Stephanie said to herself and partially to Ranger.

She pounded on the door again. "The only reason you have to ignore me is if you are sitting on top of that man riding him like you're at the Kentucky Derby!"

"_I am going to kill her!"_ Stephanie groaned crawling out of bed. She walked over to the door and whipped it open. "What?"

Ranger watched her through half closed eyes. She just looked at Penelope for a second then nodded. Shutting the door she walked over to her bag and pulled out a pair of jeans. She slipped into them. Grabbing her shoes she made her way to the door.

"Babe."

"We'll be back." She said.

"If you need to ride me like you're at the Kentucky Derby when you get back, feel free." He offered, then chuckled as he was hit by a pillow that had ended up on the floor.

The women were silent as they got into one of the cars and drove out. The drive was about forty-five minutes. They came to their location and got out. Quietly they huddled together. Penelope handed each of them a candle and lit them. They stood in silence and remembered their friend.

Finally, Sheila broke the silence. "Hey, girl. We stopped by to say hi. We wanted you to know that we miss you and love you."

"We thought we should fill you in on a few things so you keep up to date with our craziness." Penelope said. "I finished law school. I'm going to be moving to Trenton here in a few days."

"You should see her in court, Kaylee. She's a shark." Sheila said with a laugh. "It's amazing."

"I married Lenny," Mary Lou picked up. "We've got three boys. It's never ending madness at my house. You would love it."

"I got my business degree." Stephanie said lastly. "I haven't really used it. I sort of got swept up in the Burg Madness and am trying to avoid drowning in it. By the way, I know you might kick my ass for this, but I ended up on my back underneath Morelli again."

"But you should see the man she's not having sex with." Penelope whispered loudly to the grave. "My god, he's gorgeous!"

"That he is!" Mary Lou giggled.

"I married Jace." Sheila said. "No kids yet, but we're going to be in Trenton for some time due to a case he has going on. I'm still doing a lot of painting."

"I'm not doing gymnastics anymore, but I think I'll pick it back up. I have a lot of pent up energy going on." Stephanie confided.

"Yeah…and a man who'd be more than willing to help you use it." Penelope snickered.

Stephanie turned and narrowed her eyes at her friend. "And don't let me forget to kill you for that this morning. The whole house heard you!"

"I have no shame." Penelope shrugged. "You know that."

"As you can see," Sheila said, "Things haven't changed when we get together, but it's been nine years."

"We miss you terribly, girl." Mary Lou said sadly. "You were gonna write the next great American novel. We hate what happened."

"But we haven't forgotten you." Penelope said. "We've been too long overdue visiting you."

"We're making up for it now." Stephanie said.

A light rain picked up soaking the girls while they stood together, arms linked in front of the final resting place for their friend. Tears silently joined the drops of water.

…

Jace stood on the deck with a cup of coffee watching the sunrise. He knew where the girls had gone this morning. He would have gone with them, but he knew it was something they needed to do for just them. He knew he would need to be prepared to hold Sheila when they came back. Lenny knew as well. It was Penelope and Stephanie that didn't have the comfort their friends did. Or perhaps it was just Penelope, Jace thought idly, after seeing how Ranger acted toward Stephanie the last couple days he was willing to bet that Ranger was going to make sure she was alright.

"Morning." Lenny said joining him on the deck.

"Morning."

"Where are the girls?" Lester came outside with Bobby and Tank. "Are we going to get another cliff diving show?"

"No." Jace shook his head. "They had somewhere to be this morning."

"Yeah. At four-thirty." Lester nodded. "I remember hearing quite clearly from Penelope that the only reason Stephanie could be ignoring her was if she was riding Ranger like a horse."

"Santos!"

Lester winced. "Damn, Ranger."

"Mats all week six a.m."

"I'll tell Tia Maria." Lester threatened. Ranger smirked and shrugged. Threatening to tell his mother was hardly going to faze him. He knew full well Lester would have to rework the story for their family to _not _know the exact reasons why Ranger was dragging him to the mats.

"So, Lenny, man, did you know the girls before you married Mary Lou?" Tank asked.

"Yeah," Lenny chuckled, "Actually, Stephanie was the reason we met."

"Oh?"

Jace chuckled and clapped Lenny on the back. "Lenny used to be a bit of a player. Had a Harley, wore the leather jacket. Picked up a lot girls that way. He tried it on our girls once. Stephanie took him up on the offer to ride the bike. When they got back from that ride, they were laughing and joking like they were old friends. That was always one of Steph's best attributes. She could make friends with anyone."

The other men nodded in agreement. They all had that connection with Stephanie. She looked past their large physiques and intimidating manners and saw them for who they were. She saw Lula as someone more than a prostitute. Because of that she had become a very important person in their lives. She was like a little sister to all the men there, with the exception of Ranger.

The sound of a car pulling up had Jace and Lenny looking at each other and setting down their coffee mugs. The girls came around the side of the house. One look at them had all the men seeing the same thing. They looked drained. Emotionally and exhausted. Jace walked forward and took Sheila in his arms, holding her close to his body, while Lenny did the same with Mary Lou.

Penelope looked at everyone and gave a tight smile. Kicking off her shoes, she turned and walked down the beach, away from everyone. She kept walking until she was out of sight of the house.

Stephanie walked past everyone and into the house. She headed into her bedroom and shut the door. Walking to the bathroom she turned the shower on and stripped down. She submerged herself in the soothing heat from the water, willing it to wash away the pain of losing their friend. A sob tore through her, forcing her to lean against the wall of the shower for support. As more broke out, she sank to the ground, allowing herself to grieve for her friend once more, grieve for the women she'd missed having in her life, grieved for letting herself get into the mess she was in with Morelli—to just grieve in general.

The water was shut off and two strong arms picked her up and wrapped her up in a towel. Picking her up, Ranger took her back to the bed, and laid her on it gently, crawling up behind her to hold her close to him. She turned and buried her face in his shirt and clung to him as she cried.

Downstairs, Tank touched Sheila's shoulder softly. "I'm real sorry you guys lost your friend that way. It's never easy to lose someone you're close to."

Sheila gave him a watery smile. "Thank you, Tank. You're sweet."

Lester was watching the area that Penelope had disappeared to. She had been gone for nearly an hour. Concerned, he found himself following the trail that Penelope had created as she walked away from the house. He had known the moment Ranger laid eyes on Stephanie that he would be with her and wouldn't leave her side. He shook his head as he walked. His cousin really needed to get his head out of his ass and admit to her how he felt, without adding something stupid to it.

He saw Penelope angrily throwing rocks into the ocean. She didn't see him as he came closer to her. Her slim body was rigid with pent up anger and grief. Lester just stopped and watched her. There was something completely alluring about her. He wanted to know more about her. It didn't help that she'd just managed to star in his late night fantasies while he was in bed.

She whirled around looking for another rock when she spotted him. The wind blew her black hair in her face, but he could see the snapping emotions in her green eyes. He closed the distance between them. "I came to see if you're okay."

"I'm fine." She snapped. "You can leave."

"You don't look fine. You look pissed as hell."

"How would you feel if you were told one of your friends died?" She snarled, starting to turn from him.

He caught her elbow and swung her back around. She slammed into his chest. She looked up at him, her body setting his own off. "I watched some of my friends die." He growled.

"But they went into it knowing the risks." Penelope shot back. "Kaylee didn't do anything to anyone! She was just trying to get her degree and enjoy her life."

"You're right, we knew what we were getting into when went into it." He replied, "But it didn't make things any less easy. War shakes you up and makes you realize how fragile life can be."

Her heart was hammering wildly against her chest as she met his green eyes. The playful playboy blocked off a pained soldier, she realized, but it didn't stop her from pushing him a little bit. She tried to push him away, but he held her easily. He probably wasn't even putting in any effort, she thought. "What do you want?"

"I thought you might someone to talk to."

"I don't want to talk." Penelope said. "I just want to feel."

The words triggered something in him and before he realized it, he was dragging her off her feet and crushing his lips to hers. Instead of pushing him away, she wrapped her legs around his waist and met his tongue with her for a lover's dual. Her arms twined their way around his neck, fingers threading in his hair. She moaned as just the kiss itself set her entire body on fire.

His hands were everywhere. She tried to push them closer together, but there were just too many clothes. She ripped at his shirt, desperate to get him out of it. One of his hands expertly yanked her shirt over her head and off her. "Pen…"

"Just feel." She growled as they stumbled together. Lester caught them before they hit the sand in an angry heap. He was tugging his shirt over his head as Penelope caught his belt buckle in his hand. When he sprang free, her eyes widened appreciatively at the size of him. He was going to be tight, but he was going to be wonderful. Lester had her out of her shorts and panties quickly. His fingers slid into her, causing her to moan and arch her hips to him begging. As his thumb caressed her clit, her whole body arched and her eyes fluttered close.

Her hands reached for something to hold on to. Lester accommodated her easily by finally thrusting deep into her. They let out simultaneous moans as they joined together. His hands found hers and their fingers tangled together as Lester thrusted deep into her. She was tight and fit him like a glove. His movements picked up as Penelope leaned up and bit his neck, demanding something harder and rougher. Lester didn't hesitate to oblige. Everything inside him screamed at him to claim what was his.

Penelope's moans filled his ears as her hands broke free of his and clung to his back, nails digging in and leaving red trails. He was hitting her just right, her body was coming, the orgasm was building hard and fast. She screamed when it overtook her and clung to him as he filled her with himself.

They lay together in a panting heap in the sand.

When Lester moved, she let out a soft hiss. He was definitely big and she was going to be sore from that. She'd never had a man in her that felt that good, that right. He paused in his movements and looked down at her. "I hurt you?"

"No. Don't worry, Lester, no strings here." Penelope sighed. "But I have to tell you that was amazing. Thank you."

"Happy to oblige." He answered, ignoring the voice in the back of his head that was trying to yell at him. He grabbed her panties and shorts. Slowly they helped each other dress and made their way back to the beach house. As they walked both of them ignored a feeling that had budded with their sudden union.

…

"Babe."

"Hm?"

"Feeling better?"

"Drained." She admitted. "I haven't cried that hard in a long time."

"You looked like you needed it." Ranger said, running his fingers through her hair. He'd held her quietly for a couple hours. At one point he had thought she'd cried herself to sleep but when he looked over her shoulder, he'd seen her wide awake just staring at the wall.

"Yeah. I probably did." She admitted.

"Want to talk about it?"

"We went to Kaylee's grave this morning."

"At four thirty?"

"That was her time of death." Stephanie said softly. Ranger simply hugged her tighter, understanding. "Ranger. I know you've already been training me a bit, but do you think you could add a little more to it?"

"Like what?"

"I need to get back into running." She looked over his shoulder and laughed at his raised eyebrow. "I was a gymnast. I had to have a good amount of stamina. I ran, and I want to run again."

"Are you going to be using my gym to do more of those flips and tumbles?"

"Probably." She admitted. "It's a good outlet. It's my zone." She smiled at him. She always teased him for going into his own zone when he drove. "So…will you help me with running?"

"Sure, Babe. When do you want to start?"

"Tomorrow is good for me." Stephanie sighed. "I have to get my spark plugs back from Jace."

"Babe."

"Yeah?"

"I have your spark plugs. Jace gave them to me last night. I'll drive you home."

"Ranger."

"Babe."

She rolled her eyes, but knew deep down, it was better if he drove. She was exhausted from waking up at four thirty and from the crying jag. She would probably fall asleep on the way home. It was a three hour drive, but she was going to need all her energy when she got back to Trenton. They were in for a rude awakening when she got there.

"Hey…"

"Babe?"

"Thanks."

"Always."


	6. Chapter 6

**AN: I don't own them. Just playing. I love the reviews all of you are giving me! They make me feel all warmy and squishy inside! I hope everyone enjoys this installment. I'm having a bit of fun with this story! bear with me if it takes a bit to update this story or Summertime Antics, I've got a bit of a cold that I'm fighting off. So far I've been winning so I can update for y'all, but it may or may not get worse, so if you don't see me for a few days, the cold may be winning. Anyway, enjoy! Please read and review!**

* * *

**Rediscovery**

**Chapter 6**

"Morning, Batman." Stephanie chirped from her bathroom. She was not surprised when she heard him come in. Given that this was his building he probably had access to everyone's apartment, but she knew he would always get into the apartment she was in.

"Babe." He leaned against the doorframe watching her put her hair into a pony tail. "I thought I was going to have to pull you out of bed."

She giggled. "Nope. I told you I needed help. I'm feeling oddly energized. I guess this weekend was a desperate need."

He shook his head and waited until she finished. She gave him a grin and, unable to resist, she leaned up and kissed him softly. He caught her around the waist and held her tightly to him as he deepened the kiss. He broke it off with a soft sigh. "Babe. We won't leave this apartment if we keep going."

Stephanie grinned and raised her eyebrows. "Don't tell me you're afraid of lil' ole' me?"

"Playing with fire, Babe."

She laughed as they left the apartment.

As they ran, she told him about the last six months, which included her grandmother's antics, the crazy skips she'd had to go after and finally, she brought up her extremely brief marriage to Morelli. "I figure Tank told you all about it."

"I got the rough outline. Apparently your skip didn't like him either."

"That's an understatement." She laughed. "Marla put up a fight originally when I got her, but I snapped and blew up at her. When she heard everything I said she decided she wanted to come back with me to keep me safe from him. And boy, did she give it to him. Morelli went down faster than Tank when he got racked at Treasure Pleasures."

"He said you locked yourself in your hotel room."

"Yeah." She sighed as they picked up pace. "I got lucky. Tank talked to the hotel manager and explained that under no circumstances was anyone allowed in until he and Lester got there. It's a good thing you have such awesome connections in a place that you're not allowed." She teased.

"Babe."

"Sorry." Stephanie chuckled. "But yeah, I locked myself in. I just…I was too afraid he might stun me or drug me or something and haul me back here and lock me in his house. I dunno. The fact that I woke up in his hotel the next morning with him grinning like an idiot was just too much. Course he said he would've preferred if his _wife _had stayed conscious enough for them consummate their marriage." She shuddered as they ran. "It made me happy I passed out. When he got up to go to the bathroom, I bolted."

"You should have had someone with you." Ranger said. She could hear the frustration in his voice and knew he was beating himself up for not making sure she had someone with her if she had gone out of town.

"Ranger, you couldn't have foreseen that. Hell, I didn't foresee that. I knew Morelli was desperate after the last time we called it quits, but I didn't think he would be desperate enough to follow me and get me drunk." She put a hand on his arm stopping him. They faced each other in the street. "Tank and Les, they got to me and helped me out of it real fast. Morelli… he's just being a sore loser."

"Babe." He let out a soft sight. He cupped her face in his hands for a moment, kissed her softly. His fingers trailed down her arms until they twined with hers. He rested his forehead against hers. "I can't send you back to him again."

"Ranger—"

"You're not safe with him around." He continued. "If he was willing to get you drunk to get what he wants, there's no telling what else he's willing to do."

"So this is about my protection?" She said, feeling her anger fuel up. Her fingers tensed around his. He locked his hands around hers tightly, to make sure she didn't break free.

"Yes…and no." Ranger kissed her again. "This…is also about me not being able to watch you walk away from me again."

"Ranger, you were the one who said your life didn't lend itself to relationships." She reminded him.

"And it was true at the time."

Stephanie licked her lips. "And now?"

"And now…" He lifted one of their joined hands. He brushed his lips across her knuckles. "Now I want to take you out to dinner on Friday, and a movie if you're interested."

"Yeah, I'm interested." Stephanie smiled and stepped closer.

"Good. I wasn't taking no for an answer." He gave her his 200 watt grin and caught her lips with his. It was gentle, asking permission to deepen. Stephanie moaned as she gave him permission.

"What the fuck, Stephanie?"

They broke apart. At least their lips did. Ranger kept their hands together. Stephanie glared at the intruder. Morelli was standing in his own jogging clothes glaring at the two of them. "Can I help you, Morelli?"

"You don't get to go running to Manoso anymore. You're married." He growled.

"No, I'm not." She shook her head. "It was annulled."

"Like hell it was." Morelli stepped closer, causing Ranger to put himself in front of Stephanie and fold his arms over his chest. He glared at Morelli, who pointed a finger at him. "You're nothing but a home wrecker. Get the fuck away from my wife, Manoso."

"I'm not near your wife, Morelli." Ranger growled dangerously. "I'd advise you to walk away now."

"Your mother is disappointed in you, Cupcake." Morelli said loudly. "She's going to be even more upset when you give the Burg something else to talk about."

Something in Stephanie snapped. She stepped out from behind Ranger. "Guess what, Joe. I don't give a flying fuck what the Burg has to say. Those who really know me know I would never marry you under false pretenses…or true ones either. You fucked up. Let's go, Ranger." They turned to leave, but Morelli caught her by the arm.

The next thing he knew he was on the ground looking up, but it wasn't Ranger who was looming over him. It was Stephanie. She glared at him. "Back off, Morelli, or I'll do more than run you over with a car."

"We're not through, Cupcake."

"Yeah we are."

Stephanie and Ranger left him there and continued on their jog. Ranger glanced over at her. "Proud of you, Babe."

"Thanks." She laughed and stretched her arms over her head. "God that felt good."

Their run continued for another hour or so. By the time they were heading back toward RangeMan, they circled through the Burg. Out of the corner of her eye, Stephanie could see people whispering and pointing at her. She rolled her eyes. Clearly they needed to find a hobby, decided.

As luck would have it, Angie Morelli and Grandma Bella made a sudden appearance. Angie hissed at her, "What do you think you're doing with that thug when you should be home tending to your husband's needs?"

"I don't have a husband." Stephanie said. "Your son is delusional if he thinks I'm going to be married to him."

"It was meant to be." Grandma Bella said. "I saw it in a vision."

"Not happening." Stephanie sang as she motioned for her and Ranger to continue on.

They didn't get far before Angie yelled out, "You are nothing but a slut! Your mother is ashamed of you. You are a disgrace to your family and a disgrace to mine."

Stephanie whirled around and tried to step forward. Ranger wrapped an arm around her waist, planting her where she was at. He could feel her push against his arm. "Then it's a good fucking thing I'm not part of your psychotic family, isn't it! Why the hell would I want to be married into a family of drunks who prefer women they're not married to? You're nothing but a bitter woman, Angie Morelli! You should consider getting laid. It might loosen that stick up your ass!"

Ranger struggled to hold down the laughter that lodged itself in his throat. He hadn't seen this part of his Babe before, but he had a feeling it wasn't going to be the last. He looked over at the Morelli women. They looked stunned into silence.

The sound of clapping had Ranger and Stephanie looking over their shoulder. Penelope was standing against a wall of the bakery with a cup of coffee in her hand. She looked amused. "I heard things were interesting in Trenton, Steph. I didn't realize telling off little old ladies was part of it. Maybe next time I'll join you." She looked at Ranger, gave him a once over and smiled. "Hey, Ranger. How's your cousin?"

"Still asleep, I imagine." Ranger said, wondering what her sudden interest in Lester was.

"Pen, I thought you were moving here on Wednesday."

She shrugged. "I have a big case to work on. It was better to move in early. Good thing I don't have a lot of things to move. I need some help getting things unloaded from the moving van. Know anyone I can borrow?"

Stephanie snuck a look at Ranger. He shook his head. "I've got client meetings all day, Babe. I'll send Lester and Tank."

"Thanks, Batman." She kissed his cheek. "Hey, do you think the boss will let me have the morning off so I can help Pen unpack? I promise to keep a tracker with me and everything."

"Gun included?"

"Um…I didn't bring it with me."

"Babe."

"Do you have yours?"

The look he gave her said yes he did. Not that she could be expected to be surprised. He always had his gun with him.

"Pretty please?" She batted her eyelashes at him.

"Babe." She could hear the amusement in his voice.

"Thanks, Batman!"

Before he could say anything, Stephanie jumped into his arms, wrapped her legs around his waist and kissed him thoroughly. He groaned as his hands tightened on her waist. They broke apart when breathing became a necessity. She giggled and brushed her lips across his. "I just couldn't resist. You looked incredibly yummy all sweaty and sexy."

"Babe." He growled dangerously.

"You'd better get back, Batman. You don't want to be late for those meetings." She kissed him again and let him set her on her feet.

He caught her around the waist and brought her back to his front. "Babe," he breathed, "You're playing with fire."

"Good. Getting burned is fun." She whispered back giving him a wicked grin.

He groaned and set off back to Haywood. He was going to be taking a very cold shower after that.

Penelope looked at Stephanie with her eyebrows raised. "Damn. I expected to see a much more graphic show. You took looked seconds away from ripping off one another's clothes."

"Hm. I've lost more panties to him…" She sighed.

Penelope dropped her coffee. "Shit, Steph!"

"Oops." Stephanie looked anything but sorry. "Come on; let me see your new place."

They walked around the corner to Penelope's condo. Stephanie let out a low whistle as they walked through it. The floor was wooden except for the bedrooms, which had carpeting. The condo had three bedrooms, one which Penelope was going to turn into a home office. The other would be a guest room, and then there was the master room which was obviously hers. The kitchen was massive with a good sized breakfast bar that seated five people with ease. It had a media room that housed a nice sized flat screen TV and the living room was set across the condo with a fireplace. Several pieces of Penelope's furniture had already been moved in.

"Damn, Pen. This is awesome!"

"Thanks." Pen smiled.

Stephanie's cell chirped at her. Ranger sent her a text asking for the address. Getting the address from Penelope she sent it back.

Ten minutes later, Lester was knocking on the door. Tank was standing behind him. "We heard a gorgeous woman needed a couple big strong men."

"I sure do. You volunteering?" Penelope asked.

"What am I volunteering for?" Lester wiggled his eyebrows suggestively.

"Careful. After the show I just got from Steph and Ranger this morning, I'm feeling a little worked up." She teased. Pointing at a safe, she asked, "Can you guys move that to my office?"

"You have a gun safe?" Tank looked impressed as he and Lester worked a dolly under it and maneuvered it toward the office.

Penelope shrugged. "I found it safe to keep a gun loaded and locked away in case someone broke in trying to find information on one of my cases."

"Can you shoot?" Lester asked.

"Probably not as well as you," She admitted, "But enough to defend myself if the need arises."

"Nice. You could probably use RangeMan's gun range if you want to practice." He told her.

The next few hours were spent with Tank and Lester moving the heavy objects where they were needed, while Stephanie and Penelope focused on the boxes that could be unpacked where they were. Idle conversation floated around the condo with comfort and ease. In the middle of the morning, Mary Lou dropped off a couple bags of groceries and left when the school called due to one of her boys getting in trouble with the teacher.

"Hm. Trust Mary Lou to make sure I'm stocked with some fruit." Penelope smiled as she unloaded apples, oranges, bananas, grapes and plums from the bag.

"Oh, yum, banana." Stephanie smiled plucking one for herself.

Penelope laughed. "You've been doing gymnastics recently, haven't you?"

"Yep." She didn't bother to deny it.

Lester stopped where he was and grinned. "Careful, Beautiful. Ranger gets wind that you're eating healthy, there'll be no stopping him."

"He already knows I like eating bananas." Stephanie rolled her eyes. He started leaving the room when a thought crossed her mind. "Besides, you should see what Pen can do with a banana. She's pretty talented."

Tank walked out of one of the bedrooms in time to see Lester walk straight into a wall smacking his face against it. Penelope and Stephanie were on the floor laughing.


	7. Chapter 7

**AN: You guys are so awesome with your reviews! I love them all! :-D Here is the next chapter for you guys. I have an idea where to go, but at the end of this chapter, I'm a little stuck, so hopefully I'll figure things out and bring you a new update :-) So that being said, please Read and Review!**

* * *

**Rediscovery**

**Chapter 7**

Stephanie stepped out of Pen's condo to head back to RangeMan. She had promised Ranger she'd be back after the morning was over. She was sure she had plenty of searches to do. It would keep her busy. Tomorrow she'd go over to Vinnie's and see what skips she needed to get.

Her phone rang. Glancing at the caller id she sighed and flipped it open. "Hello, Mom."

"Stephanie Michelle Plum, what on earth were you thinking telling off Angie Morelli like that?" Helen demanded.

"I was doing what every single person in the Burg wants to do." She replied.

"She is your _mother-in-law. _You need to show her some respect. What do you think is going to happen at the holidays?"

"Angie Morelli is not now, nor ever going to be, my mother-in-law." Stephanie ground out. "I told you the marriage was annulled."

"If you think I'm taking the word of some thugs over Joseph Morelli's you have another thing coming!" Helen snapped. "Get yourself over to the Morelli's and apologize this instant."

"Nope, don't think so. I've got to go, Mom. Bye." Stephanie hung up and closed her eyes. She rubbed them quickly and tried not to scream, but she had to admit the little devil inside her was laughing her ass off at the mental image she had of Angie Morelli staring at her in shock this morning.

Opening her eyes she found Carl Costanza standing in front of her. "Hey, Carl, how's it going?"

"Good, Steph." He sighed. "I hate to do this to you, but I'm here to arrest you."

"Arrest me?" Stephanie laughed. "For what? Arguing with my mother?"

He shook his head. "For assault."

"Assault?" She looked at him incredulously. "Are you kidding me?"

"No. Joe is pressing charges." He looked apologetic. "Sorry, Steph."

"You don't need to be." She grumbled allowing him to cuff her. "But he will."

An hour later, Stephanie was sitting inside a cell weighing her options. It had been years, she thought with a small giggle, since she had been in a jail cell. The little devil in her was kicked back, saying, _Yeah, but that time was much more fun than this one. _She had to agree.

"Hello, Cupcake."

Stephanie simply raised her eyebrows at him. She didn't say anything. Joe sat there staring her down. Finally he said, "I can drop the charges if you promise to come home and behave."

She looked at him and considered laughing. Would that be too much, she wondered. Possibly. Instead she said nothing, but grinned slightly.

Joe misread her grin. "You'll have to apologize to my mother. You insulted her and you need to get back into her good graces. You'll start cooking lessons with your mother. I've already talked to her and she's agreed to that. She thinks it's a wonderful idea."

"Joe." Stephanie stood up and walked to the bars. "I need to make my phone call."

"Why?" He demanded. "I'm right here."

"I wouldn't have called you." She said. "I want my phone call."

"I don't think so." Joe replied angrily. "You'll stay right there until you agree to what I've told you."

He turned and stomped out of the area. Eddie walked back when Joe was out of sight. "Sorry, Steph."

"Are you going to give me my phone call?"

"Joe denied you your phone call?" He looked surprised, but nodded. "Yeah, come on." He unlocked the cell and took her to the phone.

Stephanie sighed as she dialed. She smiled when she heard a laughing voice say, "Hello?"

"Pen."

"Steph. You have to convince Ranger to come back. It's so much fun playing with his boys." Penelope giggled. "Well, really, Tank is helping me play with Lester, and I'm going to take them both out for dinner tonight to a place called Rossini's. Is it any good?"

"Yes, it is. Listen I—"

"Wonderful. You should get Ranger and we'll have a nice little get together."

"Yeah, that sounds great." Stephanie nodded. "Pen, I need a lawyer."

"Oh, Steph, I love you, but you can't afford me." Penelope laughed. "Where are you?"

"Joe Morelli had me arrested for assault."

There was silence on the other end for several seconds. She could hear Lester and Tank in the background asking Penelope if everything was alright. Finally Penelope said, "I'll be there in thirty."

Steph hung up with a smug smile. "Okay, Eddie, you can take me back to my cell now." Eddie looked a little wary at the glint in her eye. Whoever she had called made him nervous.

Back in her cell, Stephanie folded her arms behind her head and leaned back against the wall, bringing one leg up and folding the other across it. She could wait. It was going to be fun when the waiting was over. The anticipation almost made her giddy.

Of course before the thirty minutes were up, Joe decided to reappear. "Cupcake, I've talked to your mother and mine. We're going to meet them for dinner tonight."

"Sorry." She shook her head. "I'm not saying anything without my lawyer."

"You don't need a fucking lawyer! Just come home and behave and I'll drop the charges."

She stared at him with a blank look that would make Ranger proud. Where had this desperation come from, she wondered. Had she caused it by being indecisive about Ranger and him? Well, really after the DeCooch deal, Ranger had indeed ruined her for all men, but she'd been caving to the pressures of the Burg. Now that she was refusing to cave anymore, it seemed to bring about a new sense of clarity. Was it because he was pressured by the Burg in some way? No, she decided, that wasn't it. He was the Burg Bad Boy turned into cop who did no wrong. He had decided for her that she was his. Too bad she wasn't, she thought smugly. She knew who she was in love with, and it wasn't Joe.

"Officer Morelli, I'll thank you to stop harassing my client."

A smug grin broke out on Stephanie's face when Penelope waltzed in. Gone was the carefree playgirl who liked to party with her friends. Here was the cool calculated lawyer who would rip her victim apart like a shark. Penelope's black crisp suit clung to her slender curves with ease. Her thick hair was swept up in a tight twist. The pale green shirt matched her eyes, which sparked with challenge.

"Who are you?" Joe demanded.

"Penelope Thayer." Stephanie looked around at the several intakes of breath. Apparently her good friend was also a very heard of lawyer. Yay for me, she thought.

"Fuck, Cupcake." Joe glared at her. "You can't afford someone like Thayer! I'm not shelling out money—Manoso. You've got Manoso paying her, don't you?"

"I assure you, Officer Morelli; Mr. Manoso is not paying me to defend my client. I'd like to speak to my client privately. _Now_." Penelope said snapping people to attention. As Eddie opened the cell and led Stephanie out, she could see Tank and Lester in the far back watching with fascination.

Stephanie was settled in an interrogation room with Penelope across from her. If it had been someone else in her position she would have probably been standing with Lester and Tank watching in fascination as well. She knew Penelope could be ruthless, commanding and sharp when she was challenged.

"Alright, Stephanie, explain what you're being charged with." Penelope said. "The police report says you're being charged with assaulting Joe Morelli this morning."

"It was self- defense." Stephanie replied. "He grabbed me when I tried to leave so I employed a self-defense maneuver that I was taught at RangeMan."

"Any witnesses?"

"Ranger."

"Officer Costanza, will you please contact Mr. Manoso for me?" Penelope looked over her shoulder at him. He nodded and left the room only to turn around and walk back in.

"He's already here."

"Good." Penelope stood. "I'll leave you here for a moment. Give me a few minutes, and we'll have these charges dropped."

"Okay."

Penelope walked out of the room and found Tank and Lester standing with Ranger. He looked calm, but she had a strong feeling that he was absolutely furious. "Ranger."

"Penelope."

"Stephanie tells me you're her witness for this morning."

He nodded. She grinned. "Good. I need to get a statement from you."

Half an hour later Stephanie was walking out of the station with three Merry Men flanking her and Penelope off to the side talking to Joe Juniak, who had stepped in and gave Morelli a verbal reprimand in front of everyone. Lester was walking in a bit of a daze. Just watching Penelope in action in her career field was something else. A big part of him wanted to go watch her in court to see how she did things there. Sheila and Jace were right, she was a shark. Even when she was in a tiny pool.

Most of the officers were sitting in shock still back in the station. Most of them had heard of Penelope, but a very few had actually seen her in action. Juniak was one who had seen in her action at one point when he'd been out of town. He'd been called in as a witness to an old case that finally made its way into court. He had always been impressed with Penelope Thayer after that case. The jury hadn't even deliberated an hour on a case that had taken years to get to court.

He had shown up at TPD to talk to the police chief and had been surprised to find Penelope Thayer standing there talking to Ranger. When the situation was explained to him, he ripped Morelli a new one, and was certain Morelli's superior was going to be doing the same thing. Morelli was definitely a good cop, and most everyone was shocked that he had had Stephanie arrested for assault.

"Boys, I'll see you for dinner tonight." Penelope said catching up with them. "You too, Ranger and Steph. I have to go. I've got a couple calls I have to make."

"Thanks, Pen." Stephanie chirped.

Pen laughed and waved as she walked quickly down the steps.

"Thanks, Ranger." Stephanie stopped and turned to face him. She leaned up and kissed him.

"No problem, Babe." He wrapped an arm around her. "Where are we going to dinner?"

"Rossini's." Stephanie looked over her shoulder at Tank and Lester. She frowned briefly at the dazed look Lester still had on his face, then grinned. If she didn't know any better, she would have to say Lester had it bad for a certain raven-haired lawyer. Tank caught her look, nodded and winked.

"So…Lester, did you find out how Penelope is with a banana?" She asked innocently.

Lester was caught off guard and tripped down the stairs. Tank roared with laughter while Stephanie laughed into Ranger's side. She could feel his sides shaking and knew he was laughing.

…

"You know, Steph, I have to say, the last time I saw you behind bars, I was sitting right next to you." Penelope said at dinner that night.

The five of them sat at a large round table at Rossini's enjoying their evening. Stephanie grinned at Penelope, "Yeah, but what we did was fun. I don't mind having that on my record."

Penelope laughed. "Yeah. I don't blame you."

"You have a record, Bombshell?" Tank couldn't believe his ears.

"What'd you two do?" Lester asked.

"I think it's down as public indecency." Penelope said innocently.

Stephanie snorted. "Pen, we were half drunk and nearly naked dancing in a fountain."

"I'm sorry I missed that." Lester said wistfully.

"Me too." Ranger murmured in Stephanie's ear, bringing a blush to her cheeks.

"Pen, what caused you to move to Trenton?" Stephanie asked, turning her attention back to her friend.

"Needed a change." She shrugged. "Plus, the firm I'm going to work for gave me an offer that was too good to refuse." Penelope sipped her wine. "Mm, good. And it'll be nice to hang out with you and Mary Lou and Sheila."

"Sheila doesn't live in Trenton." Stephanie looked confused.

"Jace is coming here on business. They'll be here awhile." Penelope answered.

"Do you know what?"

She shook her head. "Nope."

A waiter came by and took their orders. For most of the meal they sat talking comfortably among each other. Finally, Penelope brought up the situation of today. "Steph, you need to be careful of Morelli."

"I know."

"No, I don't think you do." She shook her head. "I'm coming at this from an outside look. Something is really off with him. He tried to get you earlier today and when you fought back and got away he had you charged with assault. I hate to say it but word on the street, or in this morning's case in the bakery, there are a lot of people who think you're using him."

"No surprise there." Stephanie answered. "Joe's a good cop."

"Good cop or not," Penelope shook her head. "He's dangerous. I just can't figure it out."

Ranger nodded in agreement. The couple times he'd seen Morelli since he'd been back he'd seen something was off. He wasn't sure what it was himself but he'd already directed Woody to keep watch on him.

"You mentioned having a big case to work on," Ranger commented.

"Dwayne Kazarra." Penelope said.

It brought a low whistle from both Tank and Lester. Dwayne Kazarra had been arrested and held without bail. He was one of Trenton's biggest drug dealers. It had been a big takedown, one that involved members of Rangeman and Trenton PD. The case had been kept under wraps to keep people on the jury safe as well as witnesses. Ranger had been out of country at the time but he'd read the report the day after his return. He knew Tank, Cal, Ram and Bobby had all been part of it and knew they were expected in court.

"Defending or prosecuting?"

"Prosecuting." Penelope gave a sharp smile. "I like a challenge."

"Yeah, I got that impression this afternoon when you were dealing with Morelli." Lester grinned. "Beautiful, what made you call Pen?"

"Because she's the best when it comes to lawyering." Stephanie laughed. "Plus I wanted to watch Morelli sweat."

"Good, you can watch him sweat some more." Penelope sighed. "Because here he comes."


	8. Chapter 8

**AN: Thanks for all the reviews everyone! I feel all fuzzy inside! I don't own them, just play! Please Read and Review! :-D**

* * *

**Rediscovery**

**Chapter 8**

Everyone's head turned to see Morelli heading their direction. Stephanie could hear Ranger and Lester with their guns out, but hidden under the table. If she wasn't so concerned with Morelli making a scene she would have found herself laughing. Penelope simply leaned back in her chair with her arms folded over her chest, her eyes narrowing. Tank was ready to stand and get him out of there.

But they were more surprised when Morelli walked right by their table and headed for a private dining room. Stephanie decided he wasn't going to risk doing something stupid after the reprimands he'd received from Juniak and his own superior. Good, she thought.

"You know guys, I'm a good defense attorney when needed, but I'm pretty sure even _I _would have trouble getting you off from murder charges with the amount of witnesses in here." Penelope smiled taking a sip of wine.

"Don't worry, Gorgeous, we'd have taken him where no one would see it happen." Lester grinned at her.

She chuckled. "Good to know. Especially since I wouldn't be able to defend you if something happened."

"Why not?" Stephanie looked at her.

"I was hired as a prosecutor." Penelope replied. "At least for the Kazarra case. I won't be working on anything else until this case is done. After that, I might go back to defense. I always enjoy a challenge, but when I got the call about this case, I really couldn't pass it up. Plus, like I said, it was time for a change."

Stephanie's phone went off. She glanced at it and frowned. It was Valerie. That was unusual because they didn't talk very often. Usually it was only if they saw one another at their parents' house these days.

"Hello?"

"Steph?"

"Yeah."

"How are you?"

"Fine."

Lester tried not to laugh as he watched Stephanie on the phone. Apparently she had claimed some of Ranger's one-worded habits when she answered the phone.

"Listen, Mom wanted me to call and talk to you. She said you haven't been answering her calls all day."

"Uh-huh."

She heard Valerie sigh. "Look, I'm sister, and I'm doing this because Mom asked me to. She wants you to come to dinner on Saturday."

"Why?"

"She said she wants to talk." Valerie answered. "She promised that Joe won't be there, so you won't have to worry about seeing him."

Stephanie debated for several minutes. On one hand, her mother was listening to everything that Joe was telling her about Stephanie, Ranger and the men she called her brothers. It made her not want to have anything to do with her mother. One the other hand, she reflected, it would give her the chance to show her mother that she no longer had any control in the way Stephanie was dealing with things.

"Yeah, fine."

"Really?" Valerie seemed to perk up.

"Really."  
"Okay. We'll see you Saturday."

Stephanie hung up and stared at her phone. She hadn't said goodbye. She glared at her phone then turned the look to Ranger. He paused with his fork halfway to his mouth when he caught the look she was giving him. "What did I do?"

"I didn't say goodbye."

"Babe."

"Don't Babe me, mister!" Stephanie gave a playful shove. "Your phone habits are rubbing off on me!"

"Babe." He shook his head and continued to eat. "What's going on?"

"Family dinner on Saturday." She replied. "Mom wants to talk." She relayed Valerie's side of the conversation to them.

"I'm sure we could have a takedown planned if you really don't want to go." Ranger offered with a grin.

Stephanie laughed. "Thanks Batman, but I'll be fine."

…

The rest of the week went by smoothly. There were no mishaps and all of Stephanie's skips were willing to just walk with her to the car. None of them tried to hurt her, blow up her car or cause her to roll around in garbage. Mostly, they all kept asking if she really told off Angie Morelli. Stephanie could only find humor in the whole situation. If she had known telling off one of the Burg's most prominent women would make her life easier with skips she would have done it when she first started bounty hunting.

She was also spending a lot of time sneaking down to the gym at night when all the men had vacated. She could feel her body toning and picking up speed the way she had when she'd been more active in gymnastics. Her morning runs with Ranger were helping. She knew it had only been a few days, but she could feel the changes and was glad that she had decided to tumble around again.

Jace and Sheila moved to Trenton. Officially, Jace was there on business as part of the FBI, but Steph didn't know for what. Sheila didn't either. All the women had gotten together for lunch at least twice already. Mary Lou had the time during the day because the boys were in school. She had confided in them that Lenny was glad they were getting back together. He wanted to see her have a bit of life outside their house and had actually volunteered to watch the boys one night if they needed a girls' night. They were already planning that particular event.

While Stephanie took care of her current skip, Penelope was busy in her new office working away on the Kazarra Case. She had to admit that she was intrigued by Trenton. The Burg was infuriating. In the course of four days she had heard everything from who was sleeping with whom to why Joe Morelli was such a great catch and why couldn't Stephanie just understand he was trying to take care of her? Although, Penelope thought as she stood to get some folders, no one seemed to actually talk _against_ Ranger and his men. It seemed that they were respected for their security and the bounty hunting they did. It didn't mean people didn't fear them. She could see that. A lot of the men were large, muscular, ex-military. But a lot of the Burg didn't view them as individuals the way Stephanie and herself did. Which was truly a pity, she thought sadly. They were wonderful men. Especially Lester.

Penelope smiled. Lester had popped over several times over the week to see how she was doing. Somehow he always knew when she was off for the day and heading home. Either RangeMan was responsible for the security in her building (which she knew they were) and he was monitoring her coming and going, or Stephanie told him when she got off. They hadn't had sex since the day on the beach. Penelope had been firm on no strings. Giving her heart up was something she was unwilling to do, but that didn't stop him from flirting with her and vice versa.

She sighed as she looked at the folder. Dwayne Kazarra was practically a mob boss when she looked at everything. RangeMan had been the most instrumental in bringing him in so she knew she would have to talk to Ranger about meeting with the team who helped in the takedown. Pen was thankful that Stephanie was not part of that. While she was a damned good lawyer, she was also aware that lawyers, herself included, good lose their impartiality when someone they knew was involved.

Penelope had been surprised when she'd been called a few weeks ago with this job offer. When she'd started working on Tuesday she found out that the original prosecutor was being paid off by Kazarra's men. The decision to bring someone from the outside in was a smart move, and when they'd decided on calling her, it had given her the excuse she'd been looking for to get the hell out of her old city. She'd needed the change. Last weekend when they had been at the beach, she realized she had needed to be with her girls again. It was surprising and wonderful that their connection and camaraderie was still there.

Now, though, she would do the job she was hired to do, but afterward, she was going to give some serious thought about returning to defense attorney. There was more money to be had there, she thought.

Her phone rang.

"Thayer." She answered.

"Miss Thayer." A deep voice came on the line. "I understand you are the new prosecutor to Dwayne Kazarra." She stayed silent, but he continued speaking, "It would be wise for you to move the case in the direction we wish it to go."

"What Kazarra did was illegal. He'll be punished just like the rest of the criminals." She said icily.

"Ms. Thayer, we will provide a generous compensation for you."

"You can't buy me off."

"It would be unwise not to accept our offer."

"Are you threatening me?"

The laugh was cold and humorless. "I do not threaten. I am merely providing incentive."

Penelope hung up. She sat back in her chair. Her predecessor here had been bought off for years. She had never been bought off and she wasn't about to be bought off. With a sigh she brought her hands up to run them over her face and shivered when she saw them shaking. Frowning she continued to stare at her hands. This wasn't the first time she had been threatened by an outside source and it was unlikely this would be the last time, but what was it about that voice that made her shake?

Looking at the clock she decided to call it an early day. Gathering her things, she locked all her files back up and left the office. In the back of her mind a tiny voice said that she should make sure she had someone with her when she left, but the logical part of her said that whoever had called her would want her to sweat for a few days before physically doing her any harm. She hadn't bothered to drive to work because her condo was close enough that she could walk. The cool air this morning had been a good reason to walk. The warm stickiness of the air right now overruled her desire to walk to work again.

Once she was home and locked up safely she showered, ridding herself of the nerves that were trying to overcome her. The hot water did little to soothe her when she got out of the shower she yanked on a pair of yoga pants and tank top. Penelope felt herself shake with frustration. _Knock it off! _She ordered herself. Then she did the only other thing she could think of. She went to her gun safe and opened it. Pulling out one of her guns, she shut the safe and felt reassured at having her firearm securely in her hand.

She jumped when she heard someone knock on her front door. Penelope shook her head. "Pansy." She lectured herself. "It was just a stupid phone call." But her inner voice was yelling loudly that she was wrong as she walked to answer the door.

Looking in the peephole she saw a grinning Lester. She laughed softly. Her nerves melted away at the sight of his face. Opening the door she saw him standing there with a box of pizza in one hand. "Hello, Gorgeous. Bossman is taking Beautiful out tonight so I thought I'd see if you want to…shoot something?"

"Huh?" Penelope followed his gaze. Her hand was still tightly gripping her gun. "Oh." She smiled and set it on the table. "Come on in, Les."

"Everything okay, Pen?" He asked shutting and locking the door behind him.

"Sure." She said taking the pizza from his hand and walking to the kitchen avoiding his gaze. "Tough day at work." She set the pizza on the counter and reached for a couple plates. Lester was behind her, his hands running down her harms. He turned her gently.

"Pen?"

She cracked. "I got a phone call from someone today." She took a shuddering breath. Lester's hands were on her waist. The heat his body was emitting made her want to melt into him. It would be so easy, she thought, so comforting.

"Can you talk about it?"

"They wanted me to lean the case in the direction of not putting Kazarra behind bars." She said. "I told them no and they wanted to buy me off. When I told them I wouldn't be bought off they said it was _unwise_ to not accept their bribe." At this point she did lean forward and rest her head on his chest. Lester wrapped his arms around her wanting to do nothing more than protect her.

"God, I'm so stupid." Penelope said, pushing away from him. She turned back to grab plates again. Then she reached for the fridge. "I've gotten phone calls from others similar to that one before in other cases, but that one." She shook her head. "That one gave me the chills in a way I can't explain."

"Penelope, maybe it'd be a good idea to have someone with you." Lester said watching her move around the kitchen trying to calm herself down.

"No, I'll be fine. I'm just tired. I'm…" Her voice drifted off as her body shook suddenly with a spike of fear she wasn't accustomed to allowing herself to feel.

"You've got your gun out of the safe." Lester pointed out. "I think that would say you're not fine." He moved forward and took her into his arms. He rubbed her back up and down soothingly. "Come on, let's go watch a movie. I'll stay with you tonight so you're not alone. Are you like Beautiful and watch Ghostbusters?"

"No. I watch Princess Bride." She smiled.

"Pirates. Cool." Lester hooked an arm around her neck and lead her to the living room where they spent the rest of the evening watching Princess Bride and eating pizza.

…

"I can't believe you talked me into that movie, Ranger." Stephanie glared at him.

"It was a good movie." Ranger nodded with an arm wrapped around her waist. "What was wrong with it?"

"There were snakes and alligators…and…um…." Actually, she couldn't remember the entire movie. Ranger's lips on her neck had been increasingly distracting. In fact the only time she looked up was when there was a snake attacking one of the title characters whose name she really couldn't remember now.

She sighed happily. The date had been perfect. Ranger had taken her to their diner where they'd first met. He'd even decimated the temple with a bite of her hot fudge sundae during their dessert. They'd talked about him growing up, the kind of hellion he'd been on his parents, his time living in Miami and a little bit about his family.

"Something's burning, Babe."

"Nothing bad." She assured him. He opened the door to the Porsche and settled her in, brushing his lips across her softly. His tongue touched her lips, and she welcomed him with her own. The kiss deepened and she found her hands tangling in his hair. He groaned when one of her hands slid down to his abs.

"Babe." He broke the kiss. "We have to go before we put a new public indecency on your record."

She smiled and waited for him to get into the driver's seat. He picked up her hand, brushing his lips across her fingertips. She watched him drive, fascinated by the fact that he was moving so quickly and not being pulled over. Stephanie wanted this as much as he did.

When they got to the garage, he helped her out of the car and kissed her again. "Come to seven." He whispered hoarsely. "Please."

"Yes." She murmured.

Stephanie never recalled them actually getting to Ranger's apartment. What she did remember was the moment they were inside the door, they were ripping at each other's clothes. The last time they'd been together had been far too long and all night, with little nips and licks here and there had mounted their frustration and their desire.

Ranger's hands were _everywhere_. They set every inch of her on fire, where they stroked, teased and taunted. Stephanie moaned when his tongue slipped deep into her, toying with her clit relentlessly. She clung to his strong shoulders, shrieking when the fire of her orgasm ripped through her body.

"In me…now…" She panted. She needed to feel him in her, needed him to join with her.

He gave a deep growl and thrusted hard into her. Their bodies paused, reveling in the feel of one another. It was more intense, more powerful than either remembered. Wrapping his arms under her shoulders, he thrusted hard and deep. Stephanie's hips met his with every thrust. Her fingers scratched down his back as she begged him to move faster.

Ranger could do nothing but comply, his body demanding he claim his mate in every possible way. Her body tensed beneath, tightening around his hard cock, driving him further into her. He bit her neck and growled his release as hers hit her.

He kept his head buried in the crook of her neck. "I certainly didn't mean for the night to end with us on the floor in my apartment."

Stephanie laughed contently. "I'm not complaining. I…"

Ranger lifted his head and looked down at her. "What, babe?"

"I missed you." She said softly.

"I missed you too." He said, then lifted her off the floor. "But I think we should move this to the bed."


	9. Chapter 9

**AN: Hello folks! Sorry for the delay in update. I'm still fighting a bit of a cold so I'm a little out of it here and there so focusing completely hasn't been easy, but I'm hoping that I'm at the end of it. Being sick is never ever ever fun. So, thank you to everyone who has reviewed so far! I love seeing what everyone has to say! :-) Here is the next chapter for your enjoyment! Please Read and Review! :-D**

* * *

**Rediscovery**

**Chapter 9**

Stephanie stretched languidly and smiled as two strong arms pinned her against an equally strong chest. Last night had been intensely magical. When Ranger had gotten her to his bed, they'd spent several hours making up for all the lost time between them. She was pretty sure she saw the sun rising before either of them had finally crashed.

"Morning, Batman." She sighed.

"Morning? Babe, it's nearly two in the afternoon." He chuckled.

Steph rolled over so she could look at him in the eye. "And you're still in bed? My, my. What will the boss say?"

"Oh, I'm sure he'll cut me some slack." Ranger teased kissing her nose. She rested her head on his chest.

"Do you have anything to do today?" She asked.

"Believe it or not, I do have a takedown planned tonight." He answered. "Do you want to come?"

The urge to give in and get out of going to dinner at her parents' house was appealing. Steph shook her head. "No. I'm going to dinner at my parents. War is coming between me and my mother and she's going to learn I'm not going down."

"You think things are going to be that bad?" He raised his head to look at her. She lifted her head off his chest. Her blue eyes made him want to sink into them.

Steph smiled. "Yeah. She doesn't like this side of me. I'm embarrassing her in front of the whole Burg. She's about to let me know how unacceptable that is."

"I can go with you." Ranger said. "Tank can take charge of the takedown."

"No, go on your takedown." Stephanie said sitting up. "Trust me when I say I get the feeling you'd prefer being in a third world country than what's going to go down tonight."

"Babe, I've been in third world countries. They weren't fun."

"Exactly." Stephanie grinned at him and crawled off the bed. "But I've got a few hours to kill...and a good long shower does sound _incredibly _inviting."

She squealed when she felt Ranger behind her scooping her into his arms rushing them into the bathroom. "Allow me to help with that."

Nearly four hours later Stephanie was pulling up in front of her parents' house. She looked around. No sign of Morelli, so that was good. At least she knew that much was true. Glancing up she saw a black SUV in her rearview mirror. She rolled her eyes and got out of the car and walked back to the SUV. Cal was sitting in the driver seat. He rolled down the window as she approached.

"Cal, what are you doing here?"

Cal smiled. "I'm the infantry."

Stephanie couldn't help the laugh that came out. "I'm pretty sure it's a one on one war."

"You never know in war." He said wisely. "There's always chance of a sneak attack."

"Alright, alright." Stephanie was still laughing. "Are you coming in?"

"Only if you call." He replied. "I'll stay out here." He was having a mental image of Grandma Mazur which made him shudder.

"You're willing to go to war with me against my mother but you're not willing to go face Grandma Mazur?" She teased.

"I'm less likely to get groped being held captive in a third world country." Cal informed her making her laugh again.

"If you insist." She smiled. "I'll bring you some dessert if we make it that far in the meal."

"Okay."

Turning back to face the door she saw her mother and grandmother waiting for her. She walked forward. Edna was looking toward the SUV with interest. "Is that one of those hot Merry Men?"

"Yup." Stephanie replied.

"Stephanie." Her mother said stoically. "I'm glad you could make it. Your sister and Albert are already here."

"And the girls?"

"They are having a slumber party with some friends from school." Helen replied.

"Isn't that fun?" Edna grinned. "I remember when my girlfriends and I used to have sleepovers. Of course things were much more different then. When the girls get older they'll have even more fun talking about boys, or sneaking out to meet the boys…"

"Mother!" Helen snapped.

"Don't 'mother' me, Helen!" Edna cackled. "I used to do it. How do you think I got pregnant with you?"

Stephanie snorted with laughter and didn't even bother to try and hold it down as Helen glared at her. She walked in behind them and headed straight for the dining room, which thankfully only contained Frank, Valerie and Albert.

"A nice family dinner. We can talk about whatever we want." Edna said with a gleam in her eye.

Valerie was sitting perfectly still beside Albert. She looked slightly nervous. "Steph, you look…toned."

"Thanks, I've been working out more." She replied. "I've started tumbling again and taking up some of my old gymnastics."

Dinner was passed around quickly. The pot roast was good, mashed potatoes with a decent amount of gravy with green beans off to the side. Stephanie normally loved the large meal but when she thought of how much working out she was going to be doing later, either down in the gym or with Ranger, her stomach coiled in defense. Her body was demanding the healthier foods. Which wasn't unusual, she used to be real good with health when she had been more consistent on her gymnastics. She guessed her body had decided if she was going to start with some old habits, she was going to go with _all _the old habits that went with it.

"Stephanie," Helen began, "I really don't feel that gymnastics is something you should be doing anymore."

"You didn't think I should be doing it in college either and look where that got us." Into a lot of fights, she thought.

"You're getting older. You really need to focus on making a good career for yourself." Helen said firmly. "After all, what happens if some _skip _manages to break you to the point where you can't even go bounty hunting any longer? It's not a good idea to continue in this unsafe profession."

"Mother, I work for RangeMan. Most of the time I have back up. Since all of those men are ex-military I'm pretty sure the skip won't get the chance to break me to that point." Stephanie replied. "The only skips I go after alone are the ones who tend to just need a little…coercion."

"I heard you had a really good capture rate this week," Edna grinned, "All the girls at the Clip and Curl were talking about how they all went willingly with you."

"That was a bit of a surprise." Stephanie admitted.

"Probably they all wanted to know about your conversation with Angie Morelli."

"They did."

"And that is another thing." Helen put her fork down with a firm _thunk_ on the table. She folded her hands in her lap. "You cannot go off like that on people who are owed your respect."

"I _owe _Angie Morelli my respect?" Stephanie sneered. "Since when?"

"Since you married his son." Helen shot back.

"It was annulled!" Her voice rose slightly. "I've got the papers to prove it! Do you need to see them?"

"I don't see why you would let that-that _thug _annul your marriage for you." Helen snapped. "You would have a good stable life with a good, solid young man who is willing to make sure you want for nothing. You'd be a good housewife."

"And pigs would fly really well." Stephanie rolled her eyes.

"Young lady—"

"Don't young lady me!" She snapped out. "I'm old enough to make my own choices. I've been old enough for twelve years. Just because you don't like the choices I'm making doesn't give you the right to bitch and moan about them! I don't complain about you ironing the curtains when you're feeling pissy."

Frank stopped eating and looked at his youngest daughter. He leaned back in his seat and just stared at her. He saw a fire blazing in her eyes and grinned. "Welcome back, pumpkin."

He couldn't tell who looked more gob smacked; his wife or his daughter. Even Albert and Valerie were staring at him in surprise. "What? I can talk."

"Frank, we _are not _condoning her behavior!" Helen exclaimed.

Stephanie grinned at him when he said, "Damn, woman, when are you going to realize that her behavior is who she is? Fuck, even I could tell she was going to be wild one when she decided to jump off the roof." Alright, so he wouldn't admit that that particular incident had scared the life out of him when he'd gotten the call saying she was in the emergency room for jumping off the roof. But he knew where he'd seen the fire in her eyes. It was something he'd had when he was younger. He was just glad one of his children had his fire. Valerie had taken after Helen so much that her ex-husband left her for the babysitter. He was sorry his oldest had suffered for that, but he wasn't sure what to make of his new son-in-law. Albert was…unusual.

But Stephanie…she was his little girl through and through. He _was _thankful she hadn't completely followed his footsteps and joined the army right after high school. He knew what he'd seen and didn't want to see her dealing with those horrors of the world. Now, Ranger, he liked him. He could see Ranger was someone who would encourage Stephanie to fly and to fly high. He had started by agreeing to help her become a bounty hunter when she first started.

"Frank, how can you encourage her to be like this?" Helen demanded. "This is _not _how we raised her!"

"Helen, Stephanie isn't Burg material. Much as I love you, pumpkin, I don't trust you in a kitchen." He grinned at his daughter.

"Well, that makes two of us, Daddy."

"But…but how will you find a way to keep Morelli?" Valerie asked.

"I don't want to keep Morelli." Stephanie sighed. "Why would I want to keep him?"

"Because he's a good, Italian man with a good job and a steady income." Helen replied. "You'll know he'll be home at five."

"It sounds like I'd be marrying a robot." Stephanie laughed. "Who wants that? I don't. I want a man who loves me for me."

"You don't always get what you want." Helen snapped. "You have to settle for what's good enough at times."

"Is that what you did, Helen?" Frank asked with a cool voice.

Stephanie looked at her father and actually shivered. He had never lost his temper with her, and suddenly she was extremely glad he hadn't. The sudden force of presence he had in the room made her think of Ranger. Her father had folded his hands together and was resting his elbows on his arms of his chair. He looked dangerously cold.

Valerie didn't look at either of her parents. She looked at her plate and sighed. It was just like Stephanie to cause some sort of problem at the meals. They had been doing so well when she was with Morelli, but now, things seemed like they were going into an unusual territory for her. She was a little jealous of her sister. She didn't have the fire or gumption to go off and embrace life like it was her last day on earth the way Stephanie used to. She could see the fire back in her eyes, and Valerie didn't mind admitting to herself that she was glad to see it there. In that moment she decided that it didn't matter how Stephanie lived her life as long as she was happy living it.

"Frank, how can you ask me that?" Helen looked aghast.

He narrowed his eyes at her. "Answer the question, Helen."

"Of course I didn't settle." She replied quickly. "But our daughter needs to be taken care of."

"She's taking care of herself just fine." Edna said breaking through the tension. "Plus, she's got the Bounty Hunter with the Package to look after her if something goes wrong. Steph has never fit the mold of housewife. We saw that with the Dick. She's meant to fly and she's going to fly with a man who loves her for who she is."

Frank barked out a laugh and raised his glass to her. "Edna, I think that's the first thing we've agreed on in all the time we've known each other!"

"World better watch out now!" Edna grinned raising her own glass to him.

Helen quickly saw that she was losing a battle. Her mother and her husband were on Stephanie's side and it was clear that her youngest child was _not _going to listen to reason. Valerie avoided her gaze while Albert just continued to chew happily on his dinner. Something had changed in their dynamic, Helen realized as she glanced at Frank. He was still giving her a cool look. She brought her gaze back down to her plate. She would have to find a good way to get Stephanie away from the thug and back to Morelli. Everyone would see she was right once they were back together and married.

After dinner Stephanie found her father in the den. He was standing at his desk looking at an old photo. He barely glanced at her when she leaned on the desk. "Daddy, I'm sorry—"

"Don't." Frank held up a hand. "Never apologize for who you are pumpkin. I've been hoping that fire would suddenly come back to you. I know what happened to your friend shook all of you, and I wish I could take it away to ease your mind, but I can't."

"It's not your fault." Stephanie said.

"Losing friends is hard." Frank sighed. "I've lost enough of them when I served the military." He reached over and pulled her onto his lap. "You're strong, Steph. You always have been, but I should have found a way to help you when your friend was killed. I'm sorry I didn't."

"Daddy—"

"You know I've always seen myself in you." Frank interrupted. "Your sister she's a lot like your mother, but you've taken after me in so many ways." He looked at the picture in his hand. This time Stephanie looked down at it.

"Daddy, you were in the Rangers?" She looked shocked.

Frank chuckled. "Yeah. I remember this day pretty clearly. I was coming home from my last mission. Your mother brought you and your sister to meet me at the base. Edna came too. Even then she wanted to see military men. I don't know how your grandfather put up with her for all those years. Anyway, when I got off the plane, I saw the four of you waiting. Your mother and sister were sitting there stoically waiting for me to reach you. But you…you took off running at me. Launched yourself in my arms the second you could."

Stephanie stared at the picture in his hands. It was a much younger version of her father. He was grinning, his face full of pride. She was sitting on his shoulders, laughing, her face full of joy that a three year old could have. Her father's hat was sitting on her head, clearly too big for her small head, but you could see her blue eyes sparkling with mischief, even then. The day in the picture was sunny, not a cloud in the sky.

"Daddy." She hugged her father. "Thanks for believing in me, even when I stopped."

"Now, now." He murmured hugging her back. "You've got a good man. His superiors spoke highly of him."

Stephanie narrowed her eyes at her father. "Are you checking up on Ranger?"

"Of course I am." Frank chuckled as they stood. "I'm your father. I can't do anything about your sister's choices, but I'm going to watch out when you fall for someone who reminds me of myself at his age."

Stephanie laughed. "I bet he'd love hearing that." Frank laughed with her.

"Here." He handed her the picture. "Hang on to this. I've got a copy. Edna couldn't stop taking pictures that day. I had to warn most of my friends when they came to visit."

"So does Ranger." Stephanie sighed. "Maybe Grandma just likes a man in uniform. Can you get her a special pass to go on base?"

"Pumpkin," Frank closed his eyes, "Don't do that to our army."

When she arrived back at Haywood, she decided to go wait for Ranger in his apartment. She settled herself on his couch and pulled the picture of her and her father out of her purse. She stared at it for a long time. It was so unusual for her to see this side of her father. He was extremely private, but he'd held on to something that clearly gave him joy. Stephanie couldn't help but smile as she traced her finger along the picture. She barely remembered her father coming home in uniform, but he'd spent most of his life afterward working for the post office. She could imagine him in _that _uniform, but in his Ranger's uniform he looked handsome and happy.

She looked up as the locks tumbled on the door. She smiled at Ranger as he walked in. "Babe."

"How was the takedown?"

"Good. Didn't take as long as I thought. What are you doing home so early? I thought World War Three was going down today?" He teased grabbing a couple bottles of water out of the fridge. He came and joined her on the couch. Bracing himself against the side of it, he brought her to lean back against his chest.

"I had an unexpected ally." She replied. "Mom didn't see it coming." She told him about dinner and about her father's interference. Stephanie held up the picture. "He gave this to me after he and I had a talk after dinner." Ranger looked at the picture and smiled at the sight of a three year old version of his babe. He looked at her father. "I didn't know he was in the Rangers."

"Neither did I." She replied. "But according to him, your superiors speak highly of you."

"Babe."

"It's what he said. Oh, and that even then Grandma Mazur had a thing for men in uniform. I thought we should get her pass to go on base."

"Babe. Don't do that to the army."

Stephanie looked at him and started laughing at the look on his face. The grimace matched her father's perfectly.


	10. Chapter 10

**AN: Hello everyone! I want to thank all of you for the wonderful reviews again! :-) The story is going to take a dramatic turn, but I'm hoping to keep some humor in it so everyone gets a feel for the comraderie between Steph and her girls :-) Here's the newest chapter for you :-) Please Read and Review!**

* * *

**Rediscovery**

**Chapter 10**

"Santos." Ranger barked Monday morning. Lester sighed and came into his cousin's office. He knew the fact that no one had seen him all weekend was going to have to be explained.

"Ranger." He shut the door and waited for his lecture. When he met Ranger's eyes he saw a speculative look on his normally blank face.

"Where've you been?" Ranger finally asked.

"I spent the weekend at Penelope's." He admitted.

"Do I have to remind you that she's a close friend of Stephanie's?" Ranger raised an eyebrow at him. He was aware that his cousin was hanging out a lot with Penelope and if he didn't know better he'd swear his cousin had a crush on her.

"Nothing happened." Lester told him. "You took Beautiful out to dinner Friday so I figured I'd keep Penelope company for the night. Things changed when I got there and she answered the door with a gun in her hand and fear in her eyes." He explained the phone call Penelope received at work. "I didn't want to take a risk of something happening to her over the weekend." Plus, he thought, the idea of something happening to her made him sick.

"Where is she now?" Ranger asked.

"At work. I didn't think I'd get away with following her to work and hanging around her office. And," Lester grinned, "We provide the security for her firm's building."

Ranger chuckled. "What do you plan to do when she's not working?"

"Make an excuse to spend as much time with her as I can." Lester shrugged. "She says it's nothing, she's been threatened before, but something about _this _particular call has her spooked."

"I agree." Ranger leaned back in his chair. "With the Kazarra case being as big as it is, we might have to consider keeping Penelope safe."

"I've thought of that. I get the feeling she and Beautiful have the same temperament when it comes to being locked up." Lester sighed. "But Kazarra still has some pretty strong connections. If they can't buy Penelope off then I get the feeling they'll try to do something more physical to convince her."

Ranger nodded. He was in complete agreement with his cousin. Kazarra was dangerous and he was already thankful that Stephanie hadn't been part of that takedown. He didn't know what Kazarra would be able to get away with from jail, but if someone was already trying to get the prosecution to swing their way…

He shook his head. He knew Stephanie was still having a hard time dealing with Kaylee's death, even after all these years. The idea of her having to deal with losing someone else close to her hurt _his _heart.

"We'll keep an eye on her, Lester." Ranger said. He saw his cousin relax marginally. Lester has always been a playboy, but when threats came around that dealt with people they cared about the soldier emerged in him. Because Ranger knew what he was capable of as a soldier, and it rivaled what he was capable of, he wanted to ease Lester's mind in advance. Once the soldier in him fully took over it would take a lot to bring Lester back.

…

Stephanie was sitting in the bonds office laughing with Connie and Lula over doughnuts. The women had noticed the change in their friend and were glad to see it. They could see her coming alive again. Tank had told Lula about Steph's old friends and she couldn't wait to meet them. If they were anything like her girl they'd be a riot.

Vinnie was currently hiding away in his office trying to avoid the cackles of the women. Of course as far as they were concerned he could just stay in there. Lula finally said, "Ya know, Joyce has been hanging around a lot. We think she's gunning for your job again."

"When isn't she gunning for my job?" Stephanie rolled her eyes. "That's never going to change. The only thing that will is her boob size."

Connie snickered as Vinnie came barreling out of his office. He pointed at Stephanie. "You! I don't pay you to sit around doing nothing, do I?"

Stephanie rolled her eyes. "You don't have any skips today, Vinnie."

"You have RangeMan's skips." He pointed at a pile of folders in her lap. She looked down at them and back at him.

"Yeah," She drawled, "Because I'm really going to go after these skips without help. Are you insane?"

"I could have Joyce do it." He threatened.

"Do it. Then you can explain to Ranger why you gave his skips to someone who makes barnyard animal noises for you." Stephanie replied. She stood up when Vinnie visibly paled.

"Don't you have a duck that needs your attention?" Lula demanded.

Vinnie hustled back into the office, locking the door behind him. Lula started to speak again, but Connie held up her hand motioning them into silence. The other two women realized that Vinnie had bugged the office again. All three of them moved quietly around the office searching for the bug.

Ranger opened the door to the bonds office to the sound of dead silence. He stopped in the doorframe and watched the scene unfolding before him. Stephanie was balancing on the back of a chair searching for something. Lula's spandex colored butt was up in the air while Connie looked as though she was searching underneath the desk.

He cleared his throat. Stephanie looked at him and held a finger to her lips. Raising an eyebrow he gave a smirk and shut the door, leaning back against the door to continue watching. Suddenly Stephanie snapped her fingers toward the other two and held up an object. She hopped off the chair and hustled to the restroom. Seconds later they heard the toilet flush.

"Little prick." Connie announced when Stephanie came out of the restroom.

"Amen!" Lula said flopping herself down on the couch. "I'd suggest bugging his office but I don't want to hear those sounds!"

"Do us all a favor and pretend you never had that thought." Stephanie suggested. Connie nodded in agreement. She walked over to Ranger. "Here're the RangeMan files."

"Vinnie wanted to give them to Joyce." Lula piped up. "He probably would have made her sound like a goat first."

Ranger looked at Stephanie, who shrugged. "I'm just related to him."

…

The trial had started. For the most part things had been going smoothly. Penelope had been fierce and controlled. Cal, Tank, Bobby and Ram were both impressed watching her go through the motions. They could see why Lester had such a thing for her. Tank could tell the jury was already leaning the way Penelope was leading them.

The impressive move had been when they'd been contacted about the move in trial date. Penelope had gotten it moved up much sooner. From their spot they could see even Morelli looked impressed with Penelope. They didn't have the highest opinion of the cop given what he was putting Stephanie through but they knew he was definitely a good cop. They'd had to work together nicely when it came to taking Kazarra down. The whole take down had happened a few weeks before the Vegas Incident as Stephanie referred to it.

A sudden sense of unease shifted in Tank's demeanor. Something was wrong. He could feel it and he could tell Cal and Ram felt it too.

Penelope was standing in front of the witness stand interrogating her witness, who was answering everything perfectly. Adrenaline was pumping through her veins. She loved being a lawyer and at the moment this was why. She was great at arguing and she loved having the last word. After the phone call she received last Friday she was more determined to make sure Kazarra ended up in jail.

At one point during the trial she had looked at him and felt the cold hatred radiating off him. If she wasn't already pissed that he had someone trying to threaten her she might have thought of being scared. But that wasn't what he was getting from her. He was dressed in a suit and could easily pass for a respectable member of society, which for several years he had. His file said he was in his early forties. He looked good for someone in his forties. His black hair was slicked back away from his face and his grey eyes held a level of calculation in them that matched hers.

Penelope moved back to her table to let the defense take a turn. Before she sat down shots rang out, shattering the windows. Instinctively she ducked.

Chaos erupted in the courtroom. People screamed, cops and the Rangemen that were there acted quickly. Tank was beside Penelope quickly, keeping her down, his own gun drawn. The jury was trying to hide in their seats, the judge was yelling for order. The cops that were acting quickly got Kazarra away from anyone he could use as a potential hostage. The bailiff came forward and helped get him restrained.

"Cal, Ram, get out there and see if you can locate the shooter." Tank ordered.

Bobby was already moving looking for those who were injured.

Tank looked at Penelope, she was sitting still, watching everything, doing what she could not to move a muscle. "Penelope? Are you okay?"

"Yeah." She said faintly. Her right arm was stinging. She looked down at it and sighed. "Tank. I think I was shot."

Tank looked at her right arm. She was right, she'd been shot, although from what he could see it was more of a graze. Nothing a few stitches and a band aid couldn't take care of. Morelli was beside them, "Everyone alright over here? We've got some others that are injured pretty badly."

"Penelope was grazed with a bullet." Tank informed him. Bobby came hurrying back to Penelope. They helped her out of the coat of her suit. Bobby took a quick assessment and verified what Tank already suspected. Penelope would need a few stitches to close that up. Bobby looked at her. She was pale, just sitting there in a kind of stupor. He wanted to take a better look at her but there were others who were more injured and he had to get them help as much as he could until the paramedics arrived.

"Is it safe to leave?" Someone asked.

"Not yet." Eddie Gazarra replied. "We're making sure no one is around to hurt anyone else."

In the distance everyone could hear sirens coming. The police made sure the building was secure and they hurried to help get people out of the courthouse. Ambulances were surrounding the courthouse, loading those that had taken bullets and hurrying off with them. Other paramedics were taking care of those who had small injuries due to trampling and scrambling to get away from the chaos.

Penelope was sitting in an ambulance her mind racing. Did this have anything to do with her not taking the offer to swing the jury? She grit her teeth together. From what she'd gathered from those talking around her no one had been killed, but it fueled her anger even more. Now she was just pissed even more. If it didn't have anything to do with her, she surmised, then she wouldn't be surprised if it had something to do with someone trying to create a distraction so they could try getting Kazarra. Pity for Kazarra the TPD had acted quickly to make sure he stayed in custody. He was already back behind bars and was going to stay there.

"Pen, are you alright?" Bobby was standing in front of her. The ambulance was getting ready to take off. She nodded. He squinted at her trying to figure out if she was in shock.

He was left standing there as the ambulance took off only to find Ranger and Lester and Stephanie coming toward him. He started speaking before they could say anything. "Someone shot up the courtroom. Cal and Ram got out trying finding who it was. No one was killed. Best guess is that someone was trying to get Kazarra out, but TPD acted quickly getting him back in custody before anyone could get him free."

"Pen?" Stephanie asked in a whisper.

"She was grazed, needs some stitches but other than that she's fine." Bobby replied and was surprised to see the sudden rage in Lester's eyes. Lester turned on his heel and marched to one of the black SUVs.

Stephanie looked at Ranger before hurrying off to join Lester. She knew he was heading to the hospital. The drive over was done in silence. She could feel the anger and fear radiating off Lester, but knew talking to him was going to be futile. He was too much like Ranger in that aspect. He shielded himself as a playboy, but the fact that he and Penelope seemed to match each other in temperament told Stephanie that her friends had met their matches in one another.

They found her sitting there staring at her arm as they finished stitching her up. Penelope was staring blankly at her arm, like she couldn't figure out what to feel. Was she in any pain? No, they'd taken care of that. Was she angry? Well, duh, she wanted to say to herself. She'd never been shot at but the lack of response she had was surprising, even to her.

"Pen?" Steph stepped toward her and hugged her softly.

Pen smiled at her. "So, is this a typical day in Trenton?"

Knowing what she was up to, Stephanie smiled and said, "Actually, it's a little slow today. Tomorrow might pick up a little bit."


	11. Chapter 11

**AN: You guys are awesome for reviewing! You've turned me into such a review whore! I keep hoping I'm pleasing people with the stories I'm writing on here and the wonderful things you guys are sending me make me smile and make me happy knowing I'm entertaining y'all! So for your reading enjoyment, here is another installment!**

**Please Read and Review!**

* * *

**Rediscovery**

**Chapter 11**

Lester looked back and forth between the two women. Penelope was sitting there calmly on the table talking like she hadn't been shot at and Stephanie was doing the same thing, except for the being shot at. He turned his back to them both. He had to calm down. He was furious and the rage racing through his veins was causing him to see red. When they'd gotten the call at RangeMan that there was a shooting at the courthouse it felt like time froze. Seeing Penelope alive and mostly unharmed he wanted to take her in his arms and crush her to him, to take her to one of Ranger's safe houses and keep her locked away until they found the shooter. But he knew he couldn't because there was no guarantee that Penelope had been the intended target.

"Alright, Ms. Thayer," The doctor walked over, "You're good to go. Don't get them wet and we'll take them out in a couple weeks." Penelope nodded and hopped off the bench. Lester casually hooked an arm around her shoulders. The warmth from his skin on her bare arms soothed her. She felt things draining away. The desire to curl into him and just let him hold her was so strong she nearly gave into it.

"Want us to take you home?" Lester asked her. She nodded and the three of them went to the RangeMan SUV.

"Les, can you drop me off at my car?" Stephanie asked. She could tell that Lester wanted Penelope alone for a bit and based off the way Penelope had leaned into Lester, she had a feeling she wanted to be alone with him for a while as well.

Lester nodded and they drove quietly over to where her car was. Since she didn't have any skips to deal with today she was just going to head back to RangeMan and work on searches. It was reassuring to see Penelope for herself and know her friend was okay.

When she was alone in her car she looked at her phone. She had several missed calls, mostly from Sheila and Mary Lou. Quickly she called Mary Lou, and then added Sheila into the call to put them on a three way call.

"Stephanie, what's going on?" Sheila demanded. "Is Penelope alright? She's not answering her phone."

"Is she hurt? Do we need to get down to the hospital?" Mary Lou asked.

"No, she's already been discharged." Stephanie said. "The court house was shot up during the Kazarra trial. There were some injuries, but no one was killed thankfully. Pen was grazed by a bullet. She needed stitches but she's fine I think."

"You think?" Sheila sounded suspicious and Steph couldn't help but laugh a little.

"Well, would you be totally fine if you were shot?"

"Probably not." Sheila answered.

"We should head to her place," Mary Lou said, "Couple bottles of wine and a couple chick flicks, and we'd be covered."

"Yeah, but probably not tonight." Stephanie said. "Lester is over there with her."

"Oh really?" Mary Lou and Sheila said at the same time sounding very intrigued.

Stephanie laughed as she pulled into the RangeMan garage. She gave a finger wave at the camera saying hi to those watching the monitors. "Yeah, I think there's something there that we haven't been seeing."

"Lester is a total playboy," Mary Lou mused out loud.

"So is Pen." Sheila replied. "It's fitting in a way, don't you think?"

"I agree. Plus, can you imagine what will happen if any of their old lovers comes into the picture?" Mary Lou asked.

Stephanie shook her head as she walked toward the elevator. "That would end very ugly, guys. Lester was in the Rangers. No one would ever see the guy again."

"Hey, you can discount Pen's ability to fight." Sheila said. "We've seen her knock out a girl. Remember that sorority girl who took Kaylee's boyfriend and was flaunting him in front of her?"

"Oh god," Stephanie closed her eyes as she got in the elevator and hit the button for four, "I didn't think we'd ever get Pen off her."

"The men were no help that night."

"Of course they weren't." Stephanie frowned when the elevator stopped and the doors opened with Ranger stepping in. She smiled and continued talking, "They were all too busy watching two women fight."

"Hm. Perhaps keeping Lester and Penelope away from each other's former lovers is a good idea." Mary Lou decided.

"I agree." Sheila laughed. "Although if that doesn't happen, I want front row seats."

"You and me both." Steph chuckled. "I've got to go guys."

"Thanks for the update." Mary Lou said.

"Let us know if we should go break into Pen's place if we don't hear from her soon." Sheila replied.

"Roger that." Stephanie disconnected and smiled at Ranger. "Hi Batman."

"Two women fighting, Babe?"

"College." She shrugged. "Wasn't me."

"Babe."

"Seriously!" She punched him playfully, but he caught her wrist and pulled her to him and caught her in a searing kiss that turned all her muscles into jelly.

"Mmm….wow." She murmured as the doors opened on four. She stared at them for a second.

"Need something from your apartment, Babe?"

"Food."

"Come to seven. Ella prepared some lunch." He enticed leaning down to nibble on her neck.

"Mmkay." She closed her eyes and curled her fingers into a first on his shirt. He was working her up and she was sure she didn't want him to stop.

"What do you want for lunch," he breathed in her ear.

"You." She replied.

Ranger chuckled. "Good to know, and if I didn't have several client meetings this afternoon I would definitely be cancelling everything else to let you have me for lunch."

"How about being dinner?"

Ranger raised an eyebrow. "I can do dinner."

"Yum." Stephanie replied. Ranger laughed as they came to seven.

He hadn't lied when he said Ella prepared lunch. It was a healthy Ranger style lunch, but Stephanie ate it without complaint. Her body was enjoying the burst of energy she had now that she was working out again.

"How's Penelope?" Ranger asked as they ate.

"In shock. She won't admit it, but I can tell." Stephanie answered. "Lester is taking her home. I don't foresee us seeing him for the rest of the day."

Ranger smirked. He wasn't surprised. His cousin was falling hard. He looked up at Stephanie and noticed she was sitting there silently. Her mind had wandered off and she was looking off into space. "I smell something burning, Babe."

"Hm? Oh, I was thinking about the shooting." She answered. "Was anything found?"

"No." Ranger shook his head. "The most we've figured out is roughly where the shooter might have been, but in all the chaos that ensued, there's no guarantee on that either. A couple of the buildings near the courthouse have RangeMan security so we're going to see if we can view the outside of the buildings to try catching something on the cameras."

"I have to admit," She sighed, "I'm really glad I wasn't part of that takedown."

"Me too, Babe." He replied.

…

Penelope unlocked her door and walked into the condo with Lester behind her. He closed and locked the door. He barely paused watching her to do so. She was moving on autopilot and she was being silent about it. He followed her into her kitchen, watched as she grabbed a beer out of the fridge. She looked at him. "Want one?"

"It's a little early." He answered.

"It's five o'clock somewhere." Penelope replied popping the cap off the beer and taking a long drink. She leaned back against the counter, closed her eyes and set the bottle down with a hard snap. "Damn it. I keep wondering if those shots were meant for me. I keep going over it in my head and replaying the whole moment. If I hadn't ducked where would the bullet have hit? Would it have hit? Or would it have gotten someone else?" She grabbed the beer and finished the rest of it. "Fuck." She put the bottle down and put her head in her hands. "I don't like this. If they're trying to buy me off and they've hurt innocent people…I can't let them get away with hurting innocent people…"

"Don't give them what they want." Lester said quietly. She picked her head up and looked at him. He elaborated. "If you give in and swing the verdict the way they want then you're giving them what they want and they'll get away with hurting innocent people too."

"I know." She sighed. "I'm angry and I don't know how to get it out of my system." She ran a hand through her hair and kicked off her shoes. "Thanks for bringing me home."

"My pleasure, Gorgeous."

"If you need to get back to work, I won't hold you up." She said as she began walking around her apartment. She was prowling, he realized, because she didn't know what to do to get the anger out of her system.

"I'm good." He replied continuing to watch her.

"Lester, I'm not a good person to be around when I'm frustrated and angry." She said finally. "It's usually better if people leave me alone."

"Didn't I see you on the beach frustrated and angry?"

"No, you saw me grieving for the loss of a friend."

"You think you can faze me with your temper?" He asked mildly.

Penelope let out a very unladylike snort and glared at him. "Not likely, soldier boy. I'm more worried about your reflexes when I start throwing things."

Lester walked over to her. "If you need a physical release then I can give you one."

"No strings." She whispered, but both of them knew it was an empty statement. The pull between them had only gotten stronger over the weekend. They hadn't slept together, sure they'd shared a bed, but no sex. It had been tough on both of them. The desire to jump one another had been stronger than either had felt before.

Lester didn't answer. Instead, he grabbed her by the hips and yanked her against him. His lips met hers in a crushing kiss that claimed her whole. She moaned as his tongue sought entrance to her mouth, which she gave. His fingers were under her shirt, caressing her smooth skin.

Penelope broke the kiss abruptly and pulled away, looking at him with smoke in her eyes and temper snapping dangerously. A physical release. He was willing to give it to her. Her chest moved up and down with deep breaths.

Suddenly she pushed him against the wall, her hands tugging the shirt out of his waist band, her lips claiming his. They parted briefly to pull the shirt over his head, before Lester changed their positions and had her up against the wall. There was a low growl that emerged from his throat as the buttons on her shirt snapped apart as he tore it off her. His hands cupped her breasts through the lacy bra she wore. Penelope shivered with delight, moaning in his ear.

He picked her up off the floor, his mouth catching one of her nipples through the lace. She let out a cry of delight and could feel his erection through his cargos. The strong hardness grinding into her center made her wet, Penelope's nails raked down his back, exciting him more as they moved back to the bedroom.

Before they reached the door, Penelope wiggled out of his grasp and desperately moved to get the belt of his cargos undone. When she had him standing in nothing but his boxers, he grinned dangerously and tugged her close by the waist band. He was dying to know if her panties matched her bra. Freeing her from her pants he grinned at the matching panties.

Lester wrapped his arms around her waist, picking her up again and throwing her on the bed. She let out a slight squeal at the sudden airborne movement but when she looked up at him crawling up the bed over her, her whole body went ablaze with desire. He was looking at her like she was the only thing left to eat on the planet.

"Les—hurry!" She demanded.

Pausing at her waist, he dragged her panties off. The sight of her laying bare before him hardened him more than he thought possible. Without another thought, his mouth descended on her. His tongue tortured her deliciously. Penelope cried out as her hips moved, desperate to feel the release that was building, but Lester stopped. She let out a choked groan as he finished crawling up her and assaulted her mouth with his own.

Penelope reached down to help him remove his boxers. She grasped his hardened cock and nearly smiled at the shudder that ripped through his body at her touch. "Pen…" He gasped.

He slid between her legs, parting them with his own. Unconsciously her hips arched up to him as he positioned himself. Then he was deep inside her. Her whole body arched to him at that moment. Penelope felt her body aching for him, desperate for the release he'd denied her.

Catching her hands with his, their fingers tangled together as he thrust hard and fast inside her. Lester hit her g-spot repeatedly, bringing a burning fire through her. She screamed as her body hit her climax and through the haze of release she heard Lester growl out her name at his own release.

They lay together panting, tangled in one another. Lester lifted his head off her chest. "Feel better?"

She raised an eyebrow at him and grinned. "Oh, I think I could use another release or two."

…

The next afternoon Stephanie had a couple skips to work on. Her body was nice and relaxed and ready to go. Ranger had definitely been a good dinner, she decided as she drove to her first skip. And dessert and a midnight snack…she shook her head to clear it. Okay, so her body decided to have a Ranger diet. Not that that was a hardship, but she was really going to have a good conversation with it about including actual food in there too.

Lucky for her, Mooner was her first skip. He answered the door and all he said was, "Dudette."

"Mooner, you missed your court date again."

"Totally." He nodded. "I'm out of marathons."

"So now would be a good time to take you to get rebounded."

"Totally, Dudette."

Stephanie wanted to laugh. Mooner was always a hoot. Usually higher than a kite, but always a hoot and probably her most easy pick up. It wasn't much, but it gave her a little spending money. Of course working at RangeMan gave her a lot of spending money, she thought as she drove them to the police station.

After she dropped Mooner off she walked outside to go get her second skip. Stephanie never made it to her car when it exploded. All she could do was stand there in utter surprise as the flame engulfed car roared. Police raced out of the station and soon she heard the fire department on their way.

"Steph, what happened?"

She looked over and saw Penelope standing next to her. "I haven't got a clue. I'd been doing so well with this car."

"How many cars have you blown up?"

"I don't think I can even give you a number anymore." Stephanie sighed. Out of the corner of her eye she saw Carl Costanza and a couple other cops exchanging money. Carl looked up at her, winked and waved.

Stephanie narrowed her eyes. "Oh that is it!"

"What?" Penelope looked at her confused. She'd been stopping by the police station because Juniak was going to be there and she needed to know what was going to happen with the Kazarra case. When she arrived she saw Stephanie staring at her car which was still taking a fire bath.

When Stephanie turned and began marching toward a group of cops, Penelope raised an eyebrow but quickly joined her. Carl greeted her first. "Hey, Steph. Thanks for the money!"

"I want it." Stephanie held out her hand. "All of it. Now."

"Hey we're just having some fun." Eddie said holding up his hands in mock surrender.

"At my expense. At the expense of something that could kill me!" She snapped and continued holding her hand out. "Give me all the money."

"Now, Steph," Big Dog started.

She shook her head. "No. Don't start. If you're going to bet on my life, then I want all the money from it. Now give it over. Or," She mentally prayed Ranger would forgive her for this, "I'll bring Ranger over."

Carl quickly dug the money out of his pocket and handed it to her. She was lucky none of them wanted to deal with Ranger. She gave them all another glare. "_Stop betting on my life._"

Marching away she pocketed the money glanced at Penelope. "What?"

"They make bets on your life?"

"Yup."

"What are you going to do with the money you just took from them?"

Stephanie stopped walking and looked at Penelope. A slow grin came to her face. "I think it's time you, me, Sheila and Mary Lou go and visit Micah."


	12. Chapter 12

**AN: Thanks for the fantastic reviews everyone! I'm so glad y'all liked the last chapter. This one is a little more lighthearted.**

**Special thanks to Mik N'jirnav for your info on mistrials! I super appreciate it! I haven't quite decided which way to go on it yet. I'm working some things out in the plot, so depending on which way I go will tell if I decide to be realistic or take some creative license. **

**Hope everyone enjoys this chapter! Please Read and Review! :-)**

* * *

**Rediscovery**

**Chapter 12**

Micah owned a bar outside of Trenton. It had always been known as a hole in the wall, but it was a hole in the wall that people wanted to travel to. He had live music three times a week, and the easy going demeanor he had made it easy for anyone to enjoy themselves there. He was in his mid-thirties and had inherited the bar from his father when he was twenty-four. Micah also had devilish good looks that could make any woman giddy and while it kept his bed warm, he didn't use it as a weapon. The only time he ever took women to bed was if they were sober.

So when four ladies from nine years ago strolled in he couldn't help but drawl out in an Irish accent that he never fully lost, "Well, well, well. Look what the cat dragged in."

Sheila grinned and waved. "Hi, Micah!"

"Ladies, you're looking lovely." He said walking over to them and embracing them. "What do I owe this pleasure?"

"We missed you, Micah." Stephanie hopped up on a bar stool and leaned over the counter to place a kiss on his cheek. "It's been far too long since we've seen you!"

"It has been far too long." He agreed.

"Plus," Stephanie pulled a large amount of money out of her pocket. "I'm buying!"

Micah shook his head and chuckled. The night was definitely going to be interesting with the four of them back in his bar.

They found their old table vacant and smiled as they took their seats. It was next to a wall and above the table held an old picture. They looked at it and a wistful look came on their faces. It was of the four of them and Kaylee nine years earlier. Stephanie, Penelope and Sheila were sitting on the bar with Mary Lou and Kaylee sitting in front of them on bar stools. They all had their arms wrapped around each other, each smiling a different promise.

The four women looked at each other sadly, but Micah remedied that quickly when he brought shot glasses and whiskey over to their table. Penelope grinned and poured the shots. She looked at them, raised the glass and yelled out, "Shots!" They threw back the drinks, and came back laughing.

"I heard you ripped the cops a new one today," Mary Lou said as she threw back another shot.

"Yup. I got tired of being their betting pool." Stephanie replied.

"Good for you!" Sheila said. " You should've kicked their asses!"

"Dude. They're cops." Stephanie retorted. "Even I'm not that insane!"

"I dunno." Mary Lou shrugged. "It could be fun. Think of that front page article! _Bombshell Bounty Hunter Kicks Cops Asses Over Betting Pool_. I'd read that."

"Then Batman to the rescue!" Penelope said pouring another shot.

Micah laughed as he watched them throw back shots and joke with each other. It was like nothing had changed, yet for them everything had changed. It was good to see them. He had missed seeing them come around. He hadn't seen them since Kaylee's death. A twinge of pain hit his heart as he thought of Kaylee but he pushed it away. He stood straighter when he saw one of the regulars mosey on up to the girls.

"Stephanie Plum, you're back."

Stephanie looked at the large man. Gabe was at least a decade over her in age and at least two hundred pounds on her. They had been known for their drinking competitions. Usually Stephanie had won. She had had an amazing tolerance for alcohol in college.

"Gabe! How are ya?" She asked with a grin.

"Good, good." He nodded. "Haven't seen ya around in some time."

"Nope," She shook her head. "No, and I'm sorry for that. I missed drinking with you."

He grinned. Micah started over from the bar knowing the grin on Gabe's face. "Really? Think you can still keep up?"

"Pshh." Stephanie replied, "I seem to recall it was you who had to keep up with _me._"

"In your dreams, Plum." He taunted.

"Stephanie," Micah warned, "You should remember how these things tend to end."

Stephanie looked at the girls. "I never remembered how these things end. Why would he think I'd remember them now?"

"Steph, do you really want to do this?" Mary Lou asked, watching fascinatedly.

"Don't worry, Plum, it's okay if you can't handle it anymore." Gabe said and slowly started sauntering away.

"Hey, I didn't say I couldn't handle it anymore!" Stephanie stood up.

"Oh, hell yeah!" Penelope laughed. "Where's the video camera when we need one?"

/\/\/\/\/\

"Ranger, Bomber's car went offline." Tank said when Ranger returned from his meetings.

"Where is she?" He demanded.

"Last we heard she was ripping a new one into the cops who were passing money around for betting on her." Tank chuckled. _That's my girl, _Ranger thought smugly. Tank continued. "She got in the car with Penelope but no one has seen either of them since.

"Call Santos. Find out if he's with them."

"Don't worry, I'm not." Lester said from behind him. He walked past. "Mary Lou and Sheila are gone too. I'd have to assume whatever they're doing is female related."

"Doesn't matter." Ranger replied.

"We'll have to sneak trackers on to Penelope's car," Lester said. "She doesn't want to be protected, but with the threat she received and the shooting I'd rather not risk it. " He looked decidedly determined to protect her.

Ranger nodded. "We'll get that taken care of."

"I'm taking her to dinner tomorrow night." Lester said rubbing his chin, "Perhaps that would be a good time to get them on. I'll take her in my car so you won't have to worry about getting caught."

"Does she know you're taking her out?" Tank asked.

"She will." Lester grinned as he started to walk away. His phone vibrated letting him know he had a text. He looked at it and frowned. He read it again and continued to frown. "I don't own a leather jacket and motorcycle."

"What?"

"Mary Lou is sending me a text message." Lester answered.

"Why do you have Mary Lou's phone number?" Tank looked at him.

"In case something happens to Beautiful and we can't find her. She has most of our numbers too." Lester replied and looked at his phone as it went off again. His eyebrows shot up. "Uh…something tells me they're drinking at that she missed her husband's name on the contacts."

"What's it saying?" Tank was intrigued.

"I'm not repeating it, but Lenny has one kinky wife." Lester laughed.

/\/\/\/\/\

"Steph, are you sure you can keep going?" Penelope asked.

Stephanie and Gabe were sitting at a large round table in the middle of the bar. A small crowd of people surrounded them. Mary Lou was giggling and sending texts to Lenny (so she thought) about what she wanted him to do to her tonight.

"Dude…got this…" Stephanie said.

Sheila laughed as she looked down at Stephanie's hands. One hand was grasping the next shot glass while her other one had a white-knuckled grip on the chair.

They had been doing this for an hour. Most of the people there were surprised they hadn't had to call an ambulance for alcohol poisoning yet.

"Steph, it's okay if you want to stop." Penelope said.

"Nope…" She shook her head. "Bigger they are…harder they…down."

Penelope and Sheila looked at each other and shrugged. They'd been drinking themselves and weren't as sober as they could be, but they were definitely impressed with Stephanie's sudden reappearance of her alcohol tolerance was surprising.

"How'd Morelli manage to get her that drunk?" Penelope asked.

Mary Lou swayed over to them. "He'd've had to've just kept plyin' her w' it."

"Shit, Mare, how much have you had?" Pen asked.

She looked at them and looked like she was thinking real hard. She held her finger and thumb a small distance apart. "This little."

Sheila dropped her head. "She's always had the least tolerance."

"Shots!" Gabe yelled. He and Stephanie threw back the next shot.

There were twelve shot glasses on each of their sides. Stephanie grinned as Gabe started swaying back and forth. One more shot ought to take him out.

/\/\/\/\/\

"Dude." Lester looked at his phone again. In the last two hours he'd gotten at least thirty texts from Mary Lou.

"Everything okay?" He jumped as he turned and found Jace standing there next to Ranger. Both men raised their eyebrows at him.

"Mary Lou doesn't stop texting me." Lester said. "I'd be fine if it was some hot girl desperate for some Lester Love, but this is Mary Lou and I seriously don't want to know anything about her sex life with Lenny."

"Lester Love?" Ranger gave him a blank look.

"Why is she texting you?" Jace asked.

"She thinks he's Lenny." Ranger supplied.

"Why…oh." Jace chuckled and pulled out his own phone. "Hang on." He dialed. "Lenny, it's Jace. Do you know where Mary Lou is?...With the girls, and they went where?...Ahhh. To Micah. Okay, Ranger, Lester and I are going to come get you. We'll go get the girls." He hung up. "They're at Micah's."

"Who the hell is Micah?" Lester demanded as they walked to the elevator.

"Micah is an old friend of ours." Jace replied. When they were getting into the car he said, "His family came from Ireland and his father opened a bar about thirty minutes out of Trenton. It's pretty popular and does really well. Micah took over when his father died. The girls used to spend a lot of time there. I'm surprised they waited this long before going out to his place." Jace shrugged as they climbed into one of the SUVs. "Kaylee's death hit Micah pretty hard. Probably harder than it did the girls."

"He had a thing for her?" Lester asked.

"No, not a thing per se. He was in love with her as desperately as any man can be in love with a woman." Jace explained.

The drive to pick Lenny up was done in silence as they all thought about Jace's words. The idea of losing Stephanie wasn't a thought Ranger would allow himself to dwell on, but the pain he'd felt every time he watched her go back to Morelli gave him a small idea of what Micah probably felt. Jace was only able to thank god that he had been given the opportunity to love Sheila and show her how much he loved her.

They rolled to a stop in front of Lenny's house. He was already waiting outside for them. He got in the back seat. "So the girls are at it again, huh?"

"Sounds like it." Jace chuckled.

"Here." Lester handed Lenny his phone. "Your wife thinks she's texting you."

Lenny read through the texts with raised eyebrows. Finally he said, "She never had a strong tolerance for alcohol. She got drunk way too easily. Sorry man." He handed the phone back.

Lester waved him off. "Dude, when was the last time she was like that?"

"Hasn't happened in years." Lenny sighed, closing his eyes. The texts that had been meant for him had turned him on, but secretly he was glad his wife was getting out of the house and going to town with the girls. It had made him a little sad to see that party girl in her wither and die completely after Kaylee died. He loved Mary Lou with every fiber of himself, but when she devoted herself to being a full time housewife and mother, he knew she was cutting part of herself off. It was nearly as bad as Stephanie shutting down and giving in to the demands that the Burg always put on her.

"You know, Lenny, I know someone who could give you a really good deal on a Harley if you need to buy a motorcycle." Lester offered, earning a chuckle out of all the men.

Suddenly all their phones were going off. Each of them picked up their phone to look at the different messages they had received. Jace frowned at his phone. "Who's Batman and why does Stephanie want him to invade her Gotham City?"

"Why does Penelope want me to do dirty things to her?" Ranger demanded.

Lenny stared at his phone. "Sheila wants to paint me with strawberry syrup."

"Dude. Mary Lou wants fuzzy handcuffs and a whip." Lester closed his eyes.

"Gentlemen," Jace unsuccessfully tried to hold down a chuckle. "I think it's safe to say our women are shit-faced."

/\/\/\/\/\

Gabe had passed out before the final shot had been taken. The girls were now back at their table happily drinking and enjoying their alcohol. Micah had a tablet nearby and marked down how many each of them had. If they were anything like the way they had been years ago, then he was going to have to cut them off and he was dearly hoping Jace or Lenny would show up and get them home.

"_MMMiiicccaaahhhh!"_ Sheila sang out. "We need 'nother round!"

He looked at them and shook his head. They pouted.

"Are you an angel?" A man asked Stephanie. She turned to him and raised her eyebrow. Huh, she thought wildly, guess she could only raise an eyebrow when alcohol was involved.

"Should I be?" She slurred.

"You have to be. You must have fallen from heaven."

"Nope." She giggled. "Just plain me."

"Want me to get you a drink?"

"Steph, here comes Ranger." Sheila said loudly in a stage whisper.

Penelope looked up, grinned, and sang out loudly, "Da Da Da Da Da Da Da Da BATMAN!"

"Hi baby!" Mary Lou squealed and jumped off her seat to Lenny's arms. "Did you get my texts? We could give the kids to my parents!" Lenny held her, nodded and looked at Lester, mouthing, "Sorry."

"Babe." Ranger stepped up to her.

"Batman. Where's the bad guy?" She asked.

He raised an eyebrow. "How many have you had?"

"Couple."

Jace looked over at Micah, who held up a tablet. Jace's eyes widened. "They had that many? Separately?"

"Not including the shot war Steph got into with Gabe." He motioned toward the large fat man who was still passed out on the ground.

"Shot war?" Lester grinned, "Damn, Beautiful. If we knew you could party that hard we'd've taken you drinking a long time ago!"

"Santos!"

"Sorry Ranger." Lester looked at Pen. "Gorgeous, you're completely shit-faced, aren't you?"

"No!" She shook her head fervently. "I'm the epit…etpi…etipome of s-s-sobr—not drunk!"

"Uh-huh." He nodded. "Want to walk a straight line?"

"Legs are broke." She replied. "Why you here?"

"This is girls night!" Stephanie said. "No boys!"

"You texted me." Ranger said, leaving out the part where it went to Jace. They'd find out in the morning about their drunken mistext.

"Dude!" Stephanie's eyes widened as she looked at her friends. "Friends don' let friends drink text!"

"Uh huh." Ranger nodded. "Come on, Babe. You're going to feel this in the morning."

"Micah, you've got their tab?" Jace called.

"I pay!" Stephanie pulled the money out of her pocket and waved it around. "My treat!"

Ranger caught her arm and took the money out. He walked over to Micah and paid the tab for them. He would have preferred to pay it himself, but he knew it would only piss Stephanie off when she was sober enough to realize she had all the money in her pocket still.

"Thanks." Micah said. "Bring them around again…with all of you guys. I forgot how they could be when they drink that much."

Ranger nodded and turned back to help Stephanie.

The next morning was not kind. She kept her head buried beneath the pillow, trying to drown out everything. The shower was too loud. The sound of Ranger brushing his teeth was too loud. Him leaving the room was too loud. Everything was just too loud. Ranger was being too loud walking across the room. She groaned as she felt the bed dip.

"Babe."

"Go away." She groaned.

"The cure is here." He said. She peaked out from under the pillow and looked at Ranger. He was holding fries and a coke.

She sat up and gingerly took them. "What happened?"

"You don't remember?"

"Um…I remember having a shot war with Gabe." She closed her eyes and pressed a hand to her temple, "I won. I always win." Her voice was a little smug at that one. Ranger smiled slightly and shook his head. "And…Mary Lou danced on the bar…" He raised both eyebrows. They'd missed that. "Did I text you?"

"You said you wanted Batman to invade your Gotham City." He told her.

"Oh, god." She covered her face with her hands. "Ranger…"

"Babe." She heard the amusement in his voice. She looked through her fingers. He was grinning at her. "I don't mind that you had a girls' night. I think it was great for you, but maybe in the future you should make sure you take someone to play designated driver. And let us know where you go."

"Yeah, okay." Stephanie nodded, then gave him a sheepish look. "Would the boss be real upset if I came in a little late?"

"Come in after lunch." He kissed her forehead and stood. As he walked out of the bedroom he said, "By the way, you sent that text to Jace."

"_WHAT?_" Ranger didn't stop the laugh that came out at her shriek of horror.

"Don't worry," He replied poking his head back in, "Penelope wants me to do dirty things to her."

Ranger laughed and ducked the pillow that flew at him.


	13. Chapter 13

**AN: Thank you for your reviews everyone! I'm glad you all enjoyed the last chapter! I thought a good bit of fun was in order cuz I think things are going to take a dark turn. Hopefully you'll enjoy this chapter also!**

**As always, please Read and Review!**

* * *

**Rediscovery**

**Chapter 13**

Penelope whipped open the door, glaring at the visitor. "You're the fucking devil!" She snarled and attempted to shut the door.

Lester laughed and pushed back until she let him in. "Aw, is someone not feeling playful today?"

"Fuck you!" She groaned as she walked to the couch and flopped down on it, grabbing a pillow and burying her head underneath it. The damn hangover was killing her.

"I would, truly, because, Gorgeous, you're absolutely amazing, but I think that might piss Ranger off." Lester said unable to help teasing her just a little bit.

"Why would Ranger care who you fuck?" Came her muffled question.

"Because you want him to do dirty things to you." Lester laughed at the groan of mortification. He figured she guessed what happened. "But I have to warn you, Ranger's idea of doing dirty things to you is probably different than what you'd expect."

"Is that right?"

"Yeah. He's more likely to make you crawl through the mud in the rain with a twenty pound pack on your back. He'll yell too, if you're not going quick enough. I should know, he's done it to me."

Despite her hangover, Penelope laughed a little bit. "You're related to quite the slave driver."

"We can't win them all." Lester joked. "You looked like you were having a lot of fun last night."

"I was. It's been years since any of us have gone out like that." Penelope said. "It was fun."

"Did Steph really have a shot war?"

"Yeah, her and Gabe. They used to go at it all the time." She replied.

Lester shook his head as he walked into the kitchen and got her a glass of water, a couple pieces of bread and some Advil. He took them to her. "Here, you might want these." She sat up and took them, giving him a smile.

"Question for you." She said.

"Shoot."

"How much do you suppose Morelli would have had to ply Steph with to get her drunk enough to marry him?"

"That's the funny thing." Lester sat next to her, throwing an arm across the back of the couch. Unconsciously, Penelope leaned into it. "The Steph _we _know is a lightweight when it comes to drinking. We never let her have more than one."

"And the Steph I know isn't, or wasn't." Penelope sighed. "I get the feeling Morelli probably had to give her a lot of alcohol. Even in a lightweight mode, she would have resisted marrying him."

"Well Morelli probably isn't going to share that info with you or any of us."

"Maybe not…but if we can find out where they married, then perhaps we can get a copy of the security tape and hope it has a sound feed."

"What's got you suspecting him more so than usual?"

"I was just thinking last night, before we all got shit faced, that he would have to have known something about her liquor tolerance. He had to have misled her somehow, even drunk." Pen mused out loud.

"I'm sure we've got the name of the Chapel." Lester replied. "I'll see if I can find anything for you."

"Thanks, Les, that's sweet of you." She replied, resting her head on his shoulder.

"Now I have a question for you." He said.

"Hm?"

"Want to go to dinner with me?"

Penelope sat there for a couple moments blinking. "Like a date?"

"Like…two friends getting to know each other." Lester said trying to keep the nervousness down that shot through his gut at the idea of being on a date with her.

She pursed her lips together. "Dinner sounds wonderful."

He let out a silent breath he'd been unaware that he was holding. Shit, that was close. He knew he had to get Penelope away from her car so Ranger and the guys could get a tracker on it, but at the same time, he really _really_ wanted to go on a date with her. Perhaps if it stayed masked as a friendly get together it might slowly move toward dating.

Penelope was enjoying the comfort of being curled into Lester's side, her head resting on his shoulder and his fingers lightly running up and down on her arm. Her eyes closed at the intensity of the feeling. It was just so…natural. So right.

And then the phone rang.

She groaned and stood up. Answering it she listened for several moments. Finally she said, "Alright. Thank you."

"Bad news?" Lester craned his neck around to look at her.

She stood in the middle of her dining room. The fact that the hangover was still working its way out of her system was irrelevant to the fact that the utter fury that swept through her. "Mistrial. Kazarra is walking."

"What?" Lester was on his feet and over to her quickly.

"Fuck." She hissed as he took her in his arms. "I wanted to put that fucker away. I didn't want him to have the opportunity to hurt someone else."

Lester just held her, unsure of what to say to make her feel better. When they had done the takedown they had all been hopeful that Kazarra would be put away permanently. Now he was walking and unless he did something new to get himself locked up it looked like he was just going to go about his business.

"Les?" Penelope whispered. "Um…do you mind inviting Steph and Ranger to dinner? I need to be around people right now."

He nodded. Much as he really wanted to date her, he wanted to make her comfortable first. Something told him that the connection to people she was close to was something she needed. Plus, instead of cancelling on him, she had simply asked if Ranger and Steph could join them. So…his mind got a little mischievous like that of a little boy who'd found something he shouldn't, really if you thought about it, this was more like a double date. He could handle that.

Of course, Penelope's thoughts were running along the same lines. While she was upset with the judge's decision for mistrial and just needed to be around people, she was a tiny bit scared of going on a date _date _with Lester. Alright…she could admit it in her head, she was absolutely terrified of going on a date with him. It was fine when they were in her apartment just hanging out, but going that step forward was scary. So she could do a half step forward by bringing Steph and Ranger with them. Hopefully they'd agree to go.

Lester stayed with Penelope for a couple more hours talking and trying to ease her mind about the whole situation with Kazarra.

/\/\/\/\/\/\

"Sir?" The timid man stayed carefully out of reach from the man he was working for. "There was a call today. Judge declared a mistrial. Kazarra is walking."

The man smiled coldly. "Excellent." He turned his attention to his other guest in the office. "Now, tell me about Miss Thayer."

"She's a damned good lawyer, one of the best. Juniak thinks highly of her and was extremely impressed with her handling of a case he was involved in a few years back."

"How much of a threat does she pose?"

"A huge one if she doesn't sway over to our side and to be quite honest, that is going to prove a great challenge considering she's friends with the Bombshell Bounty Hunter."

"If Thayer likes her life, then she should be willing to listen to reason." The man gripped the arms of his chair. From the posture he was presenting, he looked to be casually gripping them, but he could feel the wood beginning to crack beneath his grip. "Stephanie Plum will not be any more of a threat than Thayer."

"Sir, Plum is very close to Ranger Manoso. Word on the street is that messing with her will undoubtedly bring his attention and that is something you do not want."

"Send out a couple of your men to see Miss Thayer and emphasize the need to listen when we call her. I do not like people disobeying me." He ordered, disregarding his guest's comment about Stephanie Plum and Ranger Manoso.

/\/\/\/\/\/\

"Hey, Ranger, got the night lined up for tonight." Lester said leaning on the door frame.

"Good. We'll get the tracker on there while you're in the restaurant with Penelope." Ranger said as he filled out paperwork without looking up at his cousin.

"Yeah, uh…about that…" Lester shifted and when Ranger looked up, he said, "Uh…Pen wants you and Stephanie to go too. She got the call today about the mistrial and I think she needs to be around people, so she asked for you two to join us."

"Santos, did you just drag me into a double date?" Ranger asked.

"Well…yeah." Lester shrugged.

"Why?"

"Because I thought you'd object if I volunteered Morelli to be Steph's date." Lester replied.

"Why would Morelli be my date to anything?" Stephanie asked from behind him. He jumped and whirled around. She stood with her hands on her hips. Grinning at him, proud that she'd snuck up on him and managed to scare on the Merry Men was a triumphant moment in her mind.

"We've been signed on to go on a double date with Santos and Pen." Ranger told her.

"A double date?" Stephanie looked at Lester. "I warned you. She's a man eater just like you're a playboy."

"Well…we're sort of putting trackers on her car." Lester said shrugging. "She got a phone call that leads me, and Ranger, to believe she might be in danger."

"Have you considered asking her if she wants trackers on her car?" Stephanie asked.

"What would she have said?"

"No."

"Exactly."

Stephanie narrowed her eyes. "You figured her out that quickly, Les?"

"Actually, Beautiful, I figured she's a bit like you. Doesn't want to ask for help and will be downright pissy when she finds out."

She couldn't argue that point. She had done it numerous times herself before the incident with Morelli in Vegas. She smiled suddenly. "What makes you think I won't tell her what you're doing?"

"Because you love your friend and don't want to see her hurt." Lester said playing on the sisterhood he saw between the four women.

"Fine," Stephanie sighed. "Mums the word."

"Thanks Beautiful." Lester hugged her. "You know, if you want to toss Bossman to the side, I bet you, me and Pen could have lots of fun together."

"Santos!" Ranger barked.

"Think about it, Beautiful," Lester wiggled his eyebrows at her, "We could have showers together and think of all the Lester Love you two would get to share on."

"Santos!" Ranger's voice rose.

"I'm leaving," Lester said and turned to go.

Stephanie smiled at Ranger and said, "Don't worry Ranger, Pen and I haven't showered together since college." She smothered her laugh as Lester turned into the doorframe smacking his face hard.

When Ranger's door closed, she burst out laughing. "Oh, he's a goner."

"Babe."

"Yeah?"

"Why'd you tell me that?" He stood up and stalked toward her. Stephanie gave a little shriek and backed up. Her eyes took in the predatory gaze on his face as well as the bulge in his pants.

Stephanie found herself pressed up against the wall, lifted off the ground and her lips met his in a crushing kiss. She wrapped her arms around him, trying to pull her closer so she could have more of him. Their tongues met in a dance they both knew well. Her legs wrapped around his waist. She could feel him growl against her body.

And then her phone rang.

They broke apart, both feeling breathless. She looked at him hungrily, willing to just destroy her phone if that meant they could continue, but when his own phone began ringing he sighed and let her down gently.

"Hello?" Stephanie asked.

"Steph! You have to help figure out what to wear tonight." Penelope all but shrieked in her ear. "We're going out with Ranger and Lester. What do I wear?"

Stephanie looked at Ranger, who had stepped a few feet away from her to talk on his phone. She raised her eyebrows as he gave her a wolf grin. If they continued the way they were going, then neither she nor Ranger would be wearing anything. Of course that meant Lester and Penelope would have to suck it up on their date all alone. Darn.

"Um. Where are we going?" She finally asked.

"Somewhere nice." Penelope said. "Lester said he was going to ask Ranger for a place."

"Hang on." She covered the mouthpiece of her phone and looked at Ranger. "Lester was supposed to ask you for a restaurant." Her eyes widened as Ranger actually rolled his eyes and turned away from her. "Uh, Pen, we'll have to get back to you on that. Just go with dressy casual. That should be good."

"Okay." Pen sighed. "See you later."

When they hung up, Stephanie stared at her friends. Yep, she decided. Her friends were both goners.

/\/\/\/\/\/\

Penelope walked outside the building that contained her office. Stepping over to the alley, she took a deep breath and closed her eyes. Leaning back against the wall, she went over the meeting in her head. She honestly hated that Kazarra walked, not because she wanted to put another case on her cases won belt, but because the evidence she had seen told her how many lives had been destroyed by him. There could be more, and she knew there would be. It would have been a great thing to put him behind bars.

"Thayer."

She opened her eyes and saw three thugs walking toward her. "Can I help you?"

"We're here to deliver a message." One of them said, effectively blocking her from escaping the alley. "It'd be wise to listen to the message."

Before she could say anything she was shoved against the wall. She gasped as a fist connected with her stomach. The wind was knocked out of her. Another fist hit her as she sank to her knees. A sharp pain shot through her as a boot kicked her in the ribs.

She was amazing in the court room. She could fight for the verdict she wanted and she usually won. She was amazing in bed, having a few men come back for more. She was an amazing friend, with unwavering loyalty and the desire to keep them safe. But she was not an amazing fighter and as the beating got worse and worse, she whimpered and felt tears slip down her cheeks.

"Now let's have some real good fun!" One of them sneered. She felt the buttons on her blouse snap and a new level of fear shot through her.

_Dear god, no! _She thought in blind panic and struggled to fight them off.

A loud crash halted all movements. Suddenly they dropped her and took off running. Penelope lay there in a heap, and looked slowly for the cause of relief. She let out a dry laugh as she saw a cat jumping away from trash cans it had knocked over. An alley cat had come to the rescue.

God, everything hurt. Penelope winced as she reached into her pocked and found her cell phone. Struggling with consciousness, she hit a number and waited for them to pick up. "Hi. Can you come get me?"


	14. Chapter 14

**AN: Your reviews are all absolutely wonderful! All of you are turning me into more and more of a review whore! :-) As we all know, I don't own them, I'm just playing...although I'd love to own Ranger (who wouldn't?). So here's another chapter, hope y'all enjoy it! **

**As always, please Read and Review!**

* * *

**Rediscovery**

**Chapter 14**

Penelope had no idea how long she lay in the alley. Her body was aching and it seemed like the only thing she could do was simply lie there and hope that help came soon. She wanted to pass out. In fact the idea of doing so was completely appealing to the point that when she felt hands on her she was close to unconsciousness.

The hands on her began picking her up. She let out a small groan and tried to push away from the person. The most soothing voice in the world came to her ears. "Easy, Gorgeous. I've got you."

_Lester_, she thought with relief and caved to the desire to become unconscious.

Of course, when she woke, the steady beeping of a heart monitor pierced through her mind, making sure she was very awake. She winced inwardly and struggled to open her eyes. As soon as the light hit them her eyes filled with tears. Blinking them away she couldn't stop the smile that came to her face when a pair of beautiful green eyes filled her vision.

"Hi." She whispered.

"Hi, Gorgeous." Lester said, brushing a lock of hair away from her face. "Good to see you wake up."

"Need some water please." She said.

Lester brought a cup of water over and helped her sip through the straw. She closed her eyes, enjoying the delicious cooling sensation that slid down her throat. Lester helped her sit up and sat on the edge of the bed, holding one of her hands. He watched her as she continued to drink the water from the cup.

When she called him and told him she needed him to come get her from the alley behind her work, he had panicked. He knew she had planned on going to work for a few hours to figure things out before getting ready for their double date that night. The moment he'd found her and the bloody mess she was in he felt his heart freeze in fear, then his blood surged with a primal anger that he'd never felt before. Even when he had served with Ranger in the Army he had never felt such anger. It was something his cousin had counted on when they went on missions. He kept cool, calm, and solid. He didn't allow anyone to mess with him. The playboy stayed stateside until they returned from their mission.

But finding that someone had beaten the shit out of Penelope had brought forth something that he wasn't familiar with, wasn't sure how to control.

"Deep thoughts, Les?" She asked. He looked at her and saw her watching him contemplatively. Her beautiful face was sporting a good sized bruise across her cheek. He knew there were other injuries, but the doctor had refused to tell him anything because he didn't hold her power of attorney.

"Pen, what happened?" He asked running a hand up and down her arm casually.

"I got jumped because someone wanted to deliver a message and they felt I should listen to the message." She sighed. Pain shot through her side. "Ouch."

"Let me go get your doctor." He said standing. He was almost to the door when the doors opened and Ranger and Stephanie walked in. Stephanie was carrying a bag with her. She looked at Pen and smiled.

"Pen, we've got to stop meeting up here. If you need a girl's day, just tell me." She teased.

Pen laughed a little. "But if I get the attention from some delicious looking men why stop?" Lester flashed her a grin before leaving to go get the doctor. She looked at Ranger and grinned, ignoring the pain in her cheek. "Lester told me what kind of dirty things you'll do to me."

Ranger's eyebrows shot up. "Excuse me?"

Stephanie pulled a chair next to Pen's bed and sat with the bag in her lap, then leaned back to watch Ranger's reaction. Pen nodded. "Yep. He said crawling through mud with a twenty pound pack. You yell too."

His lips quirked and turned up in a small smile. "He forgot to mention the jungles I'll have you go through. Weeks upon weeks with no showers or baths."

"Really?" Pen grinned.

Stephanie laughed, glad to see that the man she loved could joke with one of her oldest friends. "Pen, I brought you doughnuts."

"Did you bring me doughnuts or did you bring you doughnuts?" She asked.

"Both." Stephanie rolled her eyes. She held open the bag and let Penelope dig through for a doughnut before choosing one for herself.

Penelope began to bite into her sugary confection when Lester and the doctor walked in. Lester immediately sat next to Penelope on the bed taking one of her hands in his. Ranger and Stephanie shared a look with one another. The doctor looked at everyone in the room and shook his head. He was glad that Ms. Thayer hadn't been injured enough to keep her in the ICU. They had been able to put her into a private room.

"Ms. Thayer, I'm Dr. Quinton." He introduced himself. "You had quite an encounter today."

"That's an awfully nice way to put having the shit kicked out of me." Penelope said around a bite of doughnut.

"Can you tell me what happened?"

She paused and looked at him long and hard, then said, "I'll have to file a report with the police. What's my damage and when can I leave?"

"Something you two agree on." Ranger teased Stephanie as he sat next to her in a chair. She shot him a grin and felt herself warm up with fuzziness when he casually took her hand in his.

"Ms. Thayer, you've got a couple cracked ribs and a whole lot of bruising." He said kindly. "I'm keeping you overnight for observation then you can go in the morning. I do have to ask…based off the way Mr. Santos brought you in, do you need a rape kit done?"

"No." She shook her head. "They didn't get a chance to get that far."

"I'm sorry you went through whatever it was," Dr. Quinton said, "But I am glad you didn't go through worse."

"You and me both!" Penelope sighed.

Lester watched her, then stood up and walked out of the room. Penelope looked over at him confused before looking at Stephanie with the question on her face. Ranger stood up. "I'll go talk to him."

"Doctor, is there any medication you might have for me right now? My sides are hurting an awful lot." Penelope said. Along with her back, parts of her leg. Good lord, she thought annoyed, she was going to be a walking bruise.

"I'll have one of the nurses bring something in for you. Later I'm going to have a prescription for you to fill." He told her.

Ranger found Lester up on the roof of the hospital. He was stalking around looking like he wanted to hit something. There was a new look in his cousin's eyes that he recognized. One he had seen in the mirror any time Stephanie was hurt.

Lester didn't acknowledge him. He knew he was there, but until he found something to hit, he was going stay up here. A small voice in his head told him staying up here where he couldn't watch Penelope wasn't going to help. Who knows who could get her while he was gone? Finally, he let out an angry growl and hit the metal door as hard as he could.

"Feel better?" Ranger asked.

Lester looked at his hand that was already swelling. "I will when I find the bastards who did that to her."

Ranger nodded. "Tank and Cal have already put trackers on her car. With the mistrial, I don't have to tell you Kazarra may target her for not agreeing to swing the jury."

"No." Lester shook his head. "You don't."

"Jace is coming back to RangeMan tomorrow. It looks like the Feds will need our help." Ranger said looking out across the way. "You'll stay with Penelope."

Lester was about to tell his cousin that he didn't need his permission, but knew what he was doing. With Kazarra being a free man, and with no leads as to _who _exactly was threatening Penelope, along with the Feds coming into Trenton, they had no way of knowing how much of a target Penelope was. Ranger usually assigned someone other than his core team to follow people other than Stephanie, but seeing how attached Lester had become to Penelope he knew he would protect her.

Instead, he nodded and said, "Let's go back before Beautiful shows Gorgeous how to sneak out from under our noses."

Ranger chuckled as they walked back down to the hospital room. The fact that they found both women still sitting in the room was a surprise and a relief. They were both happily munching on doughnuts. Stephanie's eyes lit up at the sight of Ranger. He walked over, kissed her on the forehead and sat next to her. Lester sat next to Penelope and took her hand in his. She smiled at him, then noticed the swelling on his knuckles.

Before she could ask about it they heard a shrill, overdramatic voice. "Where is she? Where is my baby?"

"Oh god no!" Stephanie whispered horrified. She looked toward the window.

"Don't even think about it, Plum!" Penelope hissed. "You jump out the window and you'll become a pancake."

"Better a pancake than dealing with Mommy Dearest." Stephanie shot back.

"If I have to deal with her then so do you." Penelope growled.

"She didn't give birth to me!"

"Ladies." Lester chuckled, "Care to enlighten us?"

The door slammed open and an extremely well dressed woman stepped in. Her brown hair was pulled into a tight bun that made it look like her skin was being pulled away from her face. Her thin lips were pursed into a practiced pout while her wide pale green eyes looked around.

"There she is! Oh my poor baby!" She cried out rushing forward.

Stephanie grit her teeth together and closed her eyes. Perfect, she thought.

"Hello, Diane." Penelope said stoically.

"Now, now, dear, is that any way to greet your dear mother?"

Penelope gave her a well-schooled formal look. She said firmly, "The last time we saw each other it was agreed that you're not my mother. It ruined your image to appear to have a child."

"I changed my mind." Diane said sniffing. "It doesn't do any good for us to be on the outs. We're all we have left."

"Ahh," Penelope gave a cold smile, "You ran out of the money Daddy left for you and you're sucking up so I'll give you some."

"That is not it at all!" But the slight flush in her cheeks told everyone in the room that was exactly why she was there.

"Did you find our girl?" A male voice boomed out.

Simultaneously Stephanie and Penelope went, "Oh fuck!"

"Of course, Derek." Diane smiled over her shoulder. A man who wasn't much older than any of them, with the exception of Diane, walked into the room. He was Hollywood handsome, with dirty blonde hair that was slicked back in a perfectly styled manor. His blue eyes were piercing. His skin was tanned, showing he spent a lot of time in the sun.

"Penelope, why didn't you call me?" Derek walked over, ignoring Lester, and leaned down to kiss her cheek. "After all, I am your husband."

She felt Lester tense, instinctively she clutched his hand tighter, "Ex-husband."

"You _married _him?" Stephanie shot her an ugly look.

Penelope returned one toward her, "_You _married the Dick!"

"Touché." Stephanie muttered and began munching on a doughnut to keep her mouth from shooting off.

"I decide your medical matters, darling," Derek said as he leaned against the wall, assessing both Lester and Ranger.

"Actually, neither of you decide my medical." Penelope said cheerfully.

They both froze and looked at her. Diane spoke first. "I'm your mother, Penelope. Of course I should have your power of attorney."

"You'll have to understand if years of trust issues prevent me from trusting you with my life should anything happen that causes a need for someone else to decide whether I'm worth saving." Penelope said coolly.

"Darling, don't you trust me?" Derek asked in a voice that usually got him exactly what he wanted. Lester wanted to reach up and slug him. Ranger was steadfastly avoiding the occasional gaze that Diane was shooting his direction.

"Not since I found my mother riding you like you were one of the toy ponies at a playground." Penelope retorted.

"Damn." Stephanie murmured so Ranger could hear her. "That just trumps what Dickie did."

"Dear, that's all in the past." Diane smiled. "You didn't have to divorce him."

"Yeah I did." Penelope replied. It had been ugly. She had murdered him in court, which had entertained most of their upper class friends because Derek was also a lawyer and watching the two of them in court had been something else indeed.

"And how did you know where I was?" Penelope suddenly demanded.

"Oh, one of your friends at the old club mentioned your move. I stopped by your condo to see you, but no one answered." Diane sniffed. "I can't believe you don't have anyone taking care of you so you don't have to worry about break ins. Someone should be there to watch your home and make sure it's safe. What would your father say?"

"He'd say I'm living my life without acting like a spoiled brat!" Penelope grumbled.

Lester grinned at her and brought her hand up to his lips. Derek narrowed his eyes. "I'm sorry, we've been rude. I'm Derek Franco." He held his hand out to Lester.

"Lester Santos." He took the hand in a firm grasp and by the slight grimace he saw in Derek's eyes the other man clearly knew he wasn't going to be intimidated by his pomp and polish.

"And you?" Diane purred toward Ranger.

He raised an eyebrow. "Ranger Manoso."

"Manoso." Derek rubbed his chin. "You own RangeMan."

Ranger nodded, not speaking. Diane sidled closer. He felt Stephanie's fingers tighten in his. He squeezed back reassuringly. Diane smiled coyly. "You're a very successful man, Mr. Manoso."

"It pays to keep people safe." He replied.

"I've heard you're not a married man."

Penelope looked at Stephanie with a raised eyebrow that said _Could she be any more obvious?_ Ranger spoke before either of them could. "Not being married doesn't mean I'm available. I'm very unavailable."

Diane took in their joined hands. "With Stephanie?" Her lips curled delicately. "Why on earth would you want someone like her? She's barely better than trash."

Stephanie felt the sudden surge of anger off Ranger. He opened his mouth to speak and she did the only thing she could think of. She shoved the last couple bites of her doughnut into his mouth.

"You've had work done, recently, haven't you?" Stephanie asked sweetly.

"A woman always has to take care of herself." Diane replied.

"Hm. The doctors must not have done a good job. You've got some wrinkles showing." She said. Diane's eyes widened and one of her hands came up to her face. Her cheeks turned pink and she couldn't seem to hustle herself out of there fast enough. Derek smirked and walked back over to the bed. He kissed Penelope on the cheek and said, "I'll come back some other time. We have a lot to discuss."

"No need." Penelope replied. He ignored her as he left.

She looked at Lester who was staring at Stephanie with horror etched across his face. Stephanie was watching Ranger with wide eyes. Ranger looked like he'd bitten into a lemon.

"Shit, Beautiful. You decimated the temple!" Lester said in a stage whisper.

"I…um…it….I didn't know what else to do!" She replied. Ranger turned and looked at her. He swallowed the doughnut. "Lester…tell my family I love them…"

"Babe." Ranger leaned forward. "Paybacks a bitch."

"You could make her crawl through the mud and rain with twenty pound on her and make her go through jungles." Penelope said helpfully.

"You're supposed to be on my side!" Stephanie hissed at her.

She smiled. "I am, but I don't want Ranger doing dirty things to me."

Lester burst out laughing. Penelope's stomach started growling. He calmed down and smiled. "Tell you what, why don't we do our dinner here? I can go out and get something and bring it back for all of us."

"That sounds great!" Penelope replied. She looked at Stephanie who was eyeing Ranger out of the corner of her eye. "Is that good for you guys?"

"Yeah." Stephanie answered.

"I'll call the TPD so you can make your statement before we eat." Ranger said pulling out his phone.

An hour and a half later, the TPD had left and the four of them were eating and enjoying each other's conversation. Pen eyed Lester carefully. Finally she said, "Go ahead and ask, Lester. I won't hide anything."

"You and your mother have an odd relationship." He said.

"That's mild." Penelope set her fork down and leaned back on the bed. "Diane and I…tolerate one another. Or rather, I tolerate her to an extent."

"She wants money from you." Ranger stated eating a bite of salad.

She nodded. "Yeah. She always wants money from me. You've probably heard of my father, Mark Thayer?" Ranger and Lester both nodded. He was old school money and he had several investments that were a security firm's wet dream. Unfortunately, Mark died before anything could happen and when everything was settled no one could get ahold of anyone who'd inherited anything.

"My father knew my mother is a vapid and vain little woman with nothing better to than tear people down that she views as inferior." Penelope rolled her eyes. "He left her a small trust, which as I called her on, she blew through. If she'd been smart, she wouldn't have had to ever find someone for money again."

"She still likes her face lifts and Botox and other beautifications." Stephanie said munching on a breadstick.

"Yeah," Penelope grinned at her, "Nice play by the way."

"Thanks."

"Anyway, she knows Daddy left me the majority of his fortune. There are a good number of investments he has that I have kept because they're smart and removing them would be foolish on my end. She showed up with hopes that I would provide her with more money."

"Gorgeous, it sounds like she wants to bleed you dry." Lester said.

"She does." Penelope shrugged. "I've made my own fortune, so touching Dad's money isn't an issue. I sound shallow, but giving her his money to blow when he worked so hard for it to maintain the family name just grates on me like you wouldn't believe."

"Why do they care about your power of attorney so much?" Stephanie asked.

"Like I said, years of trust issues." Penelope shrugged. "I don't trust them to give me a chance to fight if anything happens. I'm pretty sure they think they'll get everything if I croak."

"And they won't?"

"Nope. They've been cut out. I've made my will so airtight it would take them years upon years for them to fight in court."

"So...who does have your power of attorney?" Steph asked.

"You."

"Me?" Stephanie squeaked.

Penelope nodded. "Yeah. When I thought about it at the time and it stands true now, you and I have similar thinking patterns. I figured if anyone could decide what I would want, you'd be the best one."

"Even after all these years?"

"Yeah. Hell, Steph, I haven't changed all that much." Penelope grinned at her. "If you're in a situation where you wanted to fight for your life, would you want someone who probably wants you dead to decide for you?" When Steph shook her head, Penelope nodded, "Exactly.

"How long will your mother be here?" Lester asked.

"If she's tapped dry, for a while I imagine." Penelope replied. Suddenly she looked over at Ranger. "Ranger, can I hire you to put a security system on my condo? With this attack and the fact that Diane and Derek are here, I'd like to keep my condo safe."

Ranger nodded. "We can get something set up for you before you go home tomorrow. I'll have Hector over in the morning to do the installation."

"Thanks." She looked pleased.

Stephanie opened her mouth to say something, but suddenly found it full of salad. Lester and Penelope started laughing. She turned and glared at Ranger who was smirking at her. Swallowing the salad she asked, "Is that payback?"

"Babe." Ranger leaned close and whispered in her ear, "Not even close."


	15. Chapter 15

**AN: Hello everyone! I'm so glad everyone is enjoying this story! I've had a bit of a struggle with it lately, but I think I have finally worked out the angles I want! This particular chapter took a different turn than I meant for it to. I was going to go visit some other characters, but it seemed that Stephanie wanted to have a bit of a heart to heart with Ranger, so I let her have it! The next chapter I believe we're going to be seeing a bit of Morelli and finding out what he's been up to! Hopefully! Depends on if any other characters have to say anything! Well, enough chitter chatter from me! Enjoy!**

**Please Read and Review!**

* * *

**Rediscovery**

**Chapter 15**

Stephanie sat in the Turbo with Ranger as they drove back to Haywood. Ranger was in his usual zone and Steph had a nagging thought. Finally, she did the only thing she could think of and grabbed her phone. She sent Penelope a text.

_**What made you call Les?**_

A few moments later she got a response.

_**Knew I was safe with him.**_

Stephanie smiled. Yep. Her friends were screwed. It seemed that it took a player to tame a player, she chuckled internally before frowning. She sent another text, but this time it was to Mary Lou and Sheila.

_**Heads up. Mommy Dearest has come a callin'.**_

Stephanie mentally counted down as she waited for her friends' responses.

Sheila was first. _**Fucking A. That bitch is still alive? Maybe Jace will let me kill her.**_

Mary Lou responded: _**That leech is back? I'm with Sheila. We should just kill her.**_

Stephanie snorted: _**Gets better. Prick came too.**_

Ranger cast Stephanie a glance when he heard her snort and raised an eyebrow. Feeling his eyes on her she looked at him and gave an entirely too innocent smile. He narrowed his eyes but turned his attention back to the road.

_**Oh good. Steph you can stun him and I will be happy to turn him into a eunuch. –**_Sheila

Stephanie burst out laughing. Before she could reply Mary Lou got in there. _**Oh boo. You two get all the fun. As long as he's stunned I'm waxing off all the body hair.**_

_**We can tape him to the flag pole in front of the court house.**_ Stephanie replied gleefully.

"Babe."

"Yes, Batman?"

"Who are you texting?"

"Mary Lou and Sheila."

"About?"

"Recipes."

"What kind?"

"Food."

"Babe."

"Ranger."

"You don't cook."

"First time for everything."

"Not in my apartment." He didn't want to have to replace his entire kitchen. Not that Ranger would say it out loud, but he definitely did not trust her in the kitchen.

"No problem." She grinned cheekily at him. "The apartment in four has one."

"Babe." He groaned. Ranger would have said something else, but his phone rang. Picking it up, he looked at the text from Jace. _**Girls are up to something evil. Keep watch on them.**_

_**Thanks**_. Ranger replied and looked back at Stephanie who was looking entirely too complacent.

"Babe." He pulled into the RangeMan garage and parked. Leaning over he kissed her deeply. "Whatever devious plot you're cooking up with the girls, make sure you don't get caught."

"Who, me?" Stephanie giggled.

"Yes, you." He growled. His hand was sitting on her thigh. His lips brushed her softly, as his hand moved up her leg. His fingers caressed the jeans covering the promised land. She moaned and unconsciously arched her body upward toward him. One of her hands crept up to clutch his shirt, making her cling to him. His tongue sought hers, caressing it in with a lover's promise. His fingers pressed against her jeans, turning her on even more, making her moan more.

Then he broke the kiss. "Come on babe. I've got a takedown to do tonight."

"You got me all worked up!" She moaned, throwing an arm over her face. "You've ruined another pair of panties!"

"Babe." This time he sounded pained. "Wait for me on seven and I'll make it up to you."

"Hm. I'll think about it." She looked at him and smirked. "Do you need any help on your takedown?"

"We've got it taken care of." Ranger got out of the car and came around to her side to help her out. He kissed her softly this time, and she knew it was out of thanks for offering to help.

They got into the elevator and when Ranger exited onto five, he turned and gave Stephanie another kiss. The doors closed and she leaned back against the wall with a sigh and a giggle. The elevator was taking her to seven, but she was too wound up to sit idly and wait. She punched for four and headed to her apartment.

Quickly, she changed into her work out uniform and headed for the gym. She had a feeling it would be empty. Sure enough, when she walked in she could almost hear the crickets singing that's how dead it was. With a small grin, she walked over to the CD player and popped in a mix she had made in order to help keep her moving.

Toeing off her shoes and socks she walked over to one of the mats and waited until the beat picked up to the tempo she liked.

And then she flew.

/\/\/\/\/\

Ranger arrived to find Cal and Hal watching the monitors with avid fascination. The takedown had been a success but exhausting. While he had hoped to come home and make wild love to Stephanie, he had a feeling she would probably already be in bed. But, he thought with an inner grin, which just meant he'd be able to wrap himself around her and get a good night's sleep in the long run.

"Report!" He barked startling his men. Honestly, he couldn't resist making them jump. Someone had to keep them on their toes and he was the boss, so obviously it fell to him.

They both gave him a sheepish look. Cal spoke first. "Nothing to report, Sir. All's well that ends well."

"Then why are you watching the monitors with such intensity?" Ranger demanded.

"It's Bomber, sir." Hal told him. "She's been in the gym since you left."

He stepped up to look at the screen they had been watching and could easily see why his men had become so fascinated. She was moving across the mat on the floor with such speed and skill that it was like watching a dance. She was doing back flips and back hand springs, landing perfectly, then turning around and doing them again. He definitely had to consider getting some other equipment in that would help her with her gymnastics.

Leaving them to their monitors he made his way to the gym. He could hear the booming base of the music as he neared the door. Slipping in he leaned back against the wall and continued to watch her. He folded his arms across his chest, crossed his ankles and just watched her. Near her shoes was a pile of cloth that he could only assume was her shirt as she was working out in nothing but shorts and a workout bra. The look of concentration on her face was furrowed as she brought herself to the edge of the mat again. Her fingers touched her neck briefly, which told Ranger she knew he was there, but she didn't allow that to stop her. Narrowing his eyes he saw her lips moving and realized she was counting. Sweat covered her body as she moved, her focus never wavering.

He lost track of how long they were in there together like that, the observer and the performer. The first night he had watched her move across the floor like this had been brief because he'd startled her and that had finished her performing for the night.

Stephanie finally felt her body give protest and did the only thing she could think of. Let herself drop face first toward the mat, catching herself with her hands at the very last second. She rolled over and took deep breaths. She still felt tightly wound, but the only thing that was going to cure that was Ranger, who, as far as she could tell, was still standing against the wall. Her eyes drifted close as she felt a sense of satisfaction fill her. it was so _good _having the energy back. She had missed it.

"Eek!" She shot up as a cold bottle of water touched her hot skin. Ranger sat next to her grinning. With the remote to the CD player in hand he turned it off and kissed her.

"I thought I told you to wait on seven." Ranger said grinning wickedly at her.

She returned the grin. "I was too wound up and if I had, your shower massager would have seen a lot of action by now."

"Babe." Ranger chuckled and kissed her again. "You looked amazing. I can't believe you stopped."

"Thanks." She felt herself blush. "It sort of had to do with Kaylee. She and I both did gymnastics. For me it was an outlet, a way to center myself. Kaylee was as passionate about it as she was about literature." Stephanie laughed. "She could quote Beowulf to you without thinking about it all while doing back handsprings across the mats."

Ranger rubbed her back. "I wish you'd talked about her more, Babe."

She shook her head. "No…for a long time talking about Kaylee was going to bring up a great deal of anger." She sighed. "But I don't mind now."

Ranger smiled his 200 watt smile at her. He brought a knee up and let Stephanie lean back against it, bringing her closer to him. He rested one of his hands on his knee and absently began kneading the back of her neck. Her eyes closed briefly. She entwined their other hands together and smiled at their interlocking fingers.

"You would have liked Kaylee, I think." She said finally. "She was so smart and at the same time, so innocent. I think that's why we all took her in at first. She was being bullied by some prima donnas at school. Weird, if you thought about it, being at college you should be able to escape that, but she hadn't. Pen and I saw her and got in their faces for doing that to her. Sheila and Mary Lou weren't far behind. The girls left, and Kaylee was so apologetic for being a burden and that she had provoked them, but Pen set her straight. The four of us sort of adopted her as our little sister."

Steph let out a small chuckle. "The five of us were more like sisters than I am with my own sister. Ironic. Anyway, Kaylee, she just…she was great at English and gymnastics and the school paper. She was a killer writer. It brought her some enemies because she could be ruthless when she needed to be. We never would have thought that when we met her because of how innocent she acted."

"When did she join the paper?"

"Um, probably a couple years after we had met her."

"So," Ranger leaned forward and kissed her temple, "She gained some strength from the bond the five of you had created together."

"Yeah, probably." Stephanie admitted. "All of us contrasted against each other. She was the quiet shy one that we wanted to keep safe, Mary Lou was the one who helped you get out of trouble and kept her silence on it but in the background she was cheering you on. Sheila's always been the painter, and could capture your soul for you without you realizing it. She just has that way about her. Pen was always arguing, so when she decided to be a lawyer, we were pretty relieved. We weren't sure what else she could do that she could argue with someone all the time."

"And you?"

Stephanie looked at him and smiled. "I was always the one telling the Burg and the rest of the world they could fuck off." Ranger let out a good laugh at that. "I got a degree in business because I figured if I had that and I started something of my own, then no one, other than me, could tell me what to do. But then Kaylee was murdered and those thoughts left."

"At the beach house, Pen said there wasn't enough evidence of to convict anyone of her murder."

Stephanie shook her head. "No, she was right. No one could find anything substantial. At first they looked at Micah, accusing him of killing her out of a jealous rage, but Micah…all you had to do was look at him to see the absolute heart break on his face. There was no way around it. Jace and Lenny tried to be there for him and for us…but I think they had better luck with us, or rather Mary Lou, Sheila and Pen than they did with Micah."

"They didn't have any luck with you?"

"No…" She sighed. She had never talked to anyone about this part before. The girls knew and Lenny and Jace knew simply because they'd been there, but baring this part of herself told her how much she trusted and loved Ranger. "I don't remember the day we were told Kaylee had been murdered."

"It's natural to block out a painful thing. It's our mind's way of protecting us." Ranger said.

"I remember being told and I remember walking back to our dorm room." She explained. "But then I remember waking up in the hospital." His eyes widened in shock and she continued, "Jace has told me that when he and Lenny found me I was destroying the dorm room. They said they had never seen me so angry and they had had to hold me down. Someone apparently sedated me and then I was in the hospital. I was…a lot more physical in my emotions then." She laughed. "More than I am now."

"Babe." He sighed and it was a sad sigh. He pulled her to him and kissed her softly, wrapping his arms tightly around her. The kiss he gave her made her feel like he was trying to kiss away the pain she felt from losing someone who was a sister to her. It was comfort, and love and unspoken promises all of which were devouring her. She wanted nothing more than to lose herself in that kiss. There wasn't anything sexual about, nothing lust related but simply love. His arms around her made her feel safe and secure. They always had, but even now, knowing him and knowing he'd keep to himself what she'd told him, she was even more sure of her love for him. He was everything for her.

"Carlos…" She breathed, then froze. She pulled back before he caught her chin in his hand. He grinned at her.

"Don't pull away, Babe. I've wanted to hear my name on your lips for a long time." He kissed her again, this time it was filled with love and desire. His body was already showing her what he wanted.

"Carlos, I want you to take me upstairs and make love to me." She said softly.

Ranger stood, scooping her into his arms. "Babe, I love you."

"I love you." She whispered as his lips met hers.


	16. Chapter 16

**AN: For those who have reviewd, many thanks. All of you make me smile :-) I'm not sure how I feel about this chapter. I wanted to show Frank regaining his sense of self at the same time Stephanie is because it just seemed to fit. Plus, I like the play on the old saying that daughters marry men like their fathers. Anyway, I hope all of you enjoy!**

**Please Read and Review!**

* * *

**Rediscovery**

**Chapter 16**

_Thump._

_Thump._

_Thump._

_Thump._

Stephanie let her eyes open lazily as she listened to the steady thumps Ranger's heart made against his chest. She could lay there all day listening to his wonderful heartbeat. His skin was warm, keeping her from being cold as they lay there. A sheet was pooled around their waists. One of Ranger's arms kept her firmly tucked to his body. Sunlight peaked in cautiously at the two lovers, as though it was afraid to interrupt.

He had spent the night loving her. It had been slow and loving, hard and fast, passionate and erotic, primal and all consuming. They had given themselves to each other in an intense need for the other. She had never felt more loved and safe in her life. Every inch of her skin had been met by Ranger's lips, her body had lit on fire and consumed them both in a blazing passion that only lovers of great epics could even begin to understand.

Now they lay together, bodies relaxed, sated and the beginnings of new hungers starting to grow. Unintentionally, Stephanie's thoughts wandered over to Kaylee. What would she be doing now if she was alive? There was no doubt in her mind she would probably be a reporter. Steph could imagine her doing that. She knew Kaylee would still be with Micah.

Tears came to her eyes. It wasn't fair! She tried to blink them away, but they slipped down onto Ranger's chest.

"Babe."

"Yeah?" She asked softly.

He moved so that she was on her back looking up at him. His eyes read her face, finger tips caressing her cheek gently. He kissed away the escaped tears. "Bad dream?"

"No. I was thinking about Kaylee." She replied. "I was thinking of what she'd be doing, of her and Micah and all I could think was that it isn't fair."

"It's never fair." He murmured softly.

"Part of me thinks it would have been easier to deal with if it had been me or Pen." She replied.

Ranger stilled and tensed. The look he gave her pierced through her. "Explain."

"The things she and I did…you could _find _a motive, find something, anything, to give reason to either of us being murdered. But not Kaylee."

Ranger settled himself on top of her, wrapping his arms under her shoulders and giving her a fierce look. "Murder is never okay. It is never easier. Kaylee was murdered for a reason. You said it yourself; she had become a ruthless reporter. You don't know what she might have dug up that someone would want to silence. And I _never _want to hear you say it would have been better if you had been the one murdered." He kissed her hard. "You lost someone, and I do understand your grief for that, but I won't stand for the idea that you would deserve to be killed. You are the kindest, most beautiful woman I have ever known. You lost a part of yourself when she died, but you're getting it back." Ranger kissed her again.

She swallowed against the lump in her throat and kissed him back. "I'm sorry."

"Losing you would destroy me, Babe." He kissed her throat, teeth nipping, tongue soothing. One of his legs nudged hers apart, and he slid into her, burying himself completely in her. They froze in that position, watching each other. Slowly, he pulled out, and achingly slow he pushed himself deeper.

"_Carlos!" _She gasped, arching up to him, her body needing him to move faster.

He more than happily obliged.

/\/\/\/\/\

"Joe, thank you for coming to see me." Helen said pouring him a cup of coffee. Joe accepted it and sat on a stool watching her.

"Of course, Mrs. Plum. I understand the stress you're under." Joe said soothingly. "Stephanie is in a precarious situation."

"She said he annulled the marriage for you. I just can't understand what she was thinking. You're a good man who deserves to have the best." She sighed.

Joe grinned. "Thank you. I'm glad you think I deserve Stephanie."

"Stephanie should just be glad that you're interested in her. I swear she didn't used to be this bad. Things changed when she went to college. Her and those girls she hung out with. Do you know how many times I got phone calls from other women wanting to know why Stephanie was dancing on a bar the previous night?" Helen shuddered.

"Sounds like she was too wild for her own good." Joe replied, but privately wondered if he could get her to do that for him. After he got Manoso out of the way of course.

"And that Penelope…" Helen's voice trailed off as she shook her head. "I thought Stephanie was done talking to her but then I have to go and find out she has moved here. Penelope always talked Stephanie into doing things that she had no business doing!"

"Penelope Thayer?"

"Yes."

Interesting, Morelli thought. Before he could say anything, Frank Plum's voice boomed through the kitchen. "Any particular reason you're sitting in my house Morelli?"

/\/\/\/\/\

Stephanie's phone rang as she and Ranger sat in his Turbo. They had gotten a late start in the morning as Ranger made sure they showered together since they were running late. It had totally made sense. "Hello?"

"Baby granddaughter, you've got to come quick!"

"Grandma? What's wrong?" Stephanie cast a glance at Ranger. He was already turning the Turbo toward her parents' house.

"You wouldn't believe me if I told you." Edna said. "But get here quick. You might want to bring that hot bounty hunter with you. He might have to stop a murder!"

She hung up and looked at Ranger. "Um, grandma thinks you'll have to stop a murder."

He cast a quick glance toward her and picked up speed to her parents' house. They pulled up to the curb and Stephanie was out of the car and running toward the door. Even from outside she could hear a loud voice. She actually stopped right outside the door and stared up. "That sounds like my dad. He's _never _yelled."

"Come on, Babe." Ranger pushed her toward the door.

Edna met them in the all and motioned them closer to where Frank's study was. She put her finger to her lips to make them be quiet. The three of them stood outside the door silent as Frank's voice carried out, "What do you have to say for yourself, Helen? What the hell is the matter with you?"

"Frank—"

"Mr. Plum, your wife is just concerned for Stephanie's welfare," Stephanie's eyes widened at hearing Morelli in the house. She could feel Ranger tense behind her.

"Was I talking to you, Morelli?" Frank's voice carried an authority that Stephanie had never heard before, but Ranger had when he was in the Army.

"Mr. Plum—"

"It's yes sir or no sir, boy." Frank snarled. Stephanie actually backed up into Ranger. His hands on her waist comforted her.

"No, sir."

"Helen."

"Frank, Joseph is right. I'm worried and the only one who can get through to her is him. I don't understand why you're trying to so hard to stop this." Helen said sounding thoroughly confused.

Edna leaned over and whispered to them, "I haven't seen him like this since his Army days. I swear if I were forty years younger, your mother would never have had a chance with him!"

"Grandma!"

"You don't understand? How the hell do you not understand me sticking up for our daughter when you're trying to break her into what you think she should be? You think this sexual deviant standing next to you is the best thing for her? He's fucking lucky I didn't shoot his ass when he was eight fingering her in his garage!" Frank's voice picked up more volume. This time Ranger's arms wrapped around Stephanie's waist to keep her in place. He could tell she was actually scared of what she was hearing. He knew Frank had never yelled at her or been cruel; this was a new side of him that she had never been subjected to. Right now she was trying to practically mold herself to Ranger.

"Mr. Plum, I have changed since then. I only have eyes for your daughter." Morelli said trying to appease him.

Frank narrowed his eyes at him. "Morelli, you're little better than you were growing up. You're almost as bad as the rest of the men in your family. You think my daughter should be subjected to living that hell? I don't care how you tricked her into marrying you, but I'm more than glad Ranger's men got her out of there and helped get rid of you!"

"Mr. Plum, Ranger is a mercenary. You don't know what kind of danger he is to your daughter." Morelli said, "I do. I can keep her safe."

Frank let out a disbelieving laugh. "Boy, you couldn't keep her safe to save your own damn life! Manoso can wipe the floor with you with both arms tied behind his back."

"Sir, he's a criminal. Do you have any idea of what he can do?"

"As a matter of fact I do." Frank gave a grin. Helen gasped and shuddered. It was a grin she had never seen on her husband's face. It was a grin that only his men would have seen in the Army. It was a grin that the enemies had seen before they met their deaths at his hands. And at that moment Joseph Morelli was clearly the enemy and he had the decency to look a little nervous. "The question you should really ask yourself, Morelli, is do you have any idea of what I can do?"

Frank drew himself up to his full height. "Morelli, what Ranger can do to you will pale in comparison to what I will do to you if you try to do a fucking thing to hurt my daughter."

"Are you threatening a cop?"

Outside the study, Ranger's eyebrows shot up. Morelli was either really brave or really stupid. Right now he was betting on really stupid. Frank gave a cool chuckle. "I would hardly say it's a threat, Morelli. More of a guarantee. Now get the hell out of my house."

The study doors swung open and Joe came to a halt when he saw the three of them. He glared at Ranger and looked at Stephanie. "Cupcake, we should talk."

"Morelli." Frank barked out. "Out!"

"Cupcake—"

"You heard him," Stephanie motioned to her father. "Get out."

"We're not finished." Morelli snarled as he shoved his way past Ranger and Stephanie.

Stephanie was watching her mother. She was staring at Frank with wide eyed terror. Finally, she began speaking, "Frank, you can't threaten a cop! He could put you in jail! What would the burg say? It's bad enough Stephanie won't marry him but that you would so something so—"

"Helen, I don't give a rat's ass about the Burg and their opinions. That little piss ant has hurt my daughter too many times and I'm not going to sit by any longer and watch it happen, nor am I going to allow you to help! Joseph Morelli is not allowed in this house!" Frank snarled at her before marching out of the study. He shut the door leaving her in there with her thoughts. He stopped when he saw Stephanie looking at him. There was a mixture of emotions flooding her face.

"Pumpkin, that's not something you should have heard." He said with a sigh.

"Grandma was concerned and said Ranger might have to stop murder from happening."

"I would have helped hide the body." Ranger assured him. Stephanie rolled her eyes and smiled.

"Daddy, I've never seen you like that." She sounded fascinated. The initial shock of hearing her father roar with authority had worn off.

"Nor would you. You're my daughter, not one of my soldiers." Frank told her. "I have to get going, pumpkin. How about the three of us get together for lunch later this week?"

Stephanie nodded as did Ranger. Edna spoke, "I'll keep watch on my daughter here. You'll hear from me if I catch her talking to Morelli again."

"Thanks, Edna." Frank nodded towards her.

As Stephanie and Ranger left, Ranger's phone rang. "Yo." He listened for a few minutes then hung up. Steph looked over at him. "Everything okay?"

"Problem on a sight. I'll need Lester." He didn't sound thrilled about pulling his cousin from Penelope's side.

"Well, drop me off at the hospital, and I'll stay with her until she gets discharged or Lester gets back." Stephanie said. She didn't blame Lester for not leaving Pen's side. With her mother and ex-husband hanging around, Stephanie didn't trust Pen being alone. If she thought her own mother was bad, Diane shot Helen Plum out of the water on the emotional terror she caused.

Ranger looked at her, kissed her and said, "Thanks, Babe."

"Happy to be of service." She replied cheekily.

"I'll show you how you can be of service later, Babe." He replied huskily, his eyes darkening deliciously.

"Oh, yay." She moaned.

Ranger burst out laughing as he helped her into the Turbo and drove them toward the hospital. He called Lester on his way and explained the situation to him. Lester was not thrilled, but was glad that Stephanie was coming to stay with Penelope.

Of course when Stephanie was getting out of the Turbo she saw Mary Lou and Sheila walking into the hospital. She grinned and caught up with them. "Are you guys here to spring Pen?"

"We would never!" Mary Lou feigned innocence.

Sheila laughed. "We wanted to keep her some company."

The three of them headed up to Penelope's room. When they got there, they found Lester sitting on Penelope's bed holding her. They looked at each other, and all simultaneously said, "Awwwww."

"Shut up." Penelope replied.

Lester got up and kissed her softly. "I'll be back. If I'm not back before you get discharged I'll see you at your apartment. Ranger sent Hector over with a team this morning. Steph gave them the spare key you gave her."

"Ok." She said smiling up at him.

Stephanie followed Lester out. "Sorry, Les, but Ranger said he really needed you for this one."

"Yeah, it's no problem, Beautiful. Her mother and ex didn't show up last night, so hopefully they'll stay missing." He told her. "Thanks. Just let me know where to meet you guys if she's discharged before I get back."

"Roger that." She said giving him a mock salute.

Lester laughed and headed toward the elevator. As he entered one elevator, another opened and Derek stepped off. Stephanie saw him coming toward Penelope's room. He smiled when he saw her. "Stephanie, good to see you this morning."

"Can I help you?" She demanded folding her arms over her chest.

"I came to see Penelope. She and I have some things to discuss." Derek answered.

Stephanie planted herself right in front of the door, blocking his way. He had easily fifty pounds on her, but she had been training with the Merry Men, who usually had at least a hundred on her. Derek was going to have a hard time getting around her.

"I don't think so." She said.

"Now, Steph, we used to be friends."

"No we didn't. You tolerated us because you were trying to get into Pen's panties."

"You know, you're right." Derek braced a hand against the wall and leaned toward her. "And it wasn't fair to any of you. I should have done what I could to be friends with all of you. It was only right. The five of you were always tight. I can see why Pen would name you her power of attorney."

"Because I don't plan to kill her if the situation gets sticky?" Stephanie asked innocently.

"You're blinded by your friendship and don't know what is best for her." Derek said. Her eyes narrowed as he kept talking. "You should talk to Pen and convince her to give the power of attorney to someone else."

"Someone like you?"

"I care about her, Steph, I really do." Derek hung his head. "I hate the way we ended things."

"Perhaps not sleeping with her mother would have been a good idea." Stephanie retorted.

His head snapped up. "Penelope needs someone who can look after her interests."

"Her interests at heart or her financial interests?" She studied him.

"Her heart of course." Derek said, smiling. God, she wanted to just punch that smile off his face. Who did he think he was? "Would you want her to suffer if anything happened? Think about it, Steph, you're not emotionally capable of deciding what's best for her."

"I can see what makes you think that." Stephanie said slowly, nodding. "After all, I love Pen for who she is, and I'm not after her money the way you and her mother are. So I think I'd give her the chance to fight for her life instead of pulling the plug." She threw a glare at him. "Who the hell do you think you are? You think we don't see through you? Get out before I call Lester back here."

Derek stood up straight and gave her a dark look. "Too bad Kaylee's murderer didn't take you too. It would have been one less nosey person to worry about."

He turned and walked away leaving Stephanie staring speculatively after him.


	17. Chapter 17

**AN: And here is another chapter! Thanks for all your fantabulous reviews! They really made my day(s)! I always feel like I accomplish something when I get so many great comments!**

**So now, I have to ask a favor. About a week or so ago, I was reading a fanfic for JE putting our favorite Batman and Babe together and I've completely lost it. I forgot to bookmark it and now I can't remember the name. I remember the name of one of the chapters being India. The rough plot I remember is that Joe and Steph started out together, and he moved for a promotion and Steph was going to move with him but caught him doing something he shouldn't. She stayed in Trenton and sort of started pursuing Ranger. They started having a movie night once a week with a group of their friends. The chapter about India is about something he and Tank did while they were in India (trying not to give too much away so anyone who hasn't read it doesn't get spoiled) and Ranger is afraid Steph will hate him for it, but is understanding...SO...can anyone help me remember this fanfic? I want to save it, b/c I really enjoyed it and I want to reread it so I can review it. Lots of thanks for anyone who can help me with this.**

**Onto the chapter! Please Read and Review!**

* * *

**Rediscovery**

**Chapter 17**

The three women in the room looked up as Stephanie walked back into the room. Sheila narrowed her eyes at her. "Steph, you okay?"

"What?" She blinked at them. "Oh, yeah, I'm fine." Her mind was reeling fast though. She was trying to recall everything she knew about Kaylee's death forward, but for some reason she couldn't bring it to the forefront. With a mental sigh she shifted her focus back to others. She would have to look things up later.

"What stopped you outside?" Penelope asked.

"Derek wanted to stop by and convince me that I'm mentally incapable of deciding your fate." She replied easily.

"Oh, awesome." Came the dry reply. Penelope rolled her eyes. "Good thing he didn't find out six years ago when I did it."

"Yeah, I would've been just as surprised then as I was yesterday." Stephanie laughed.

"Hey, can you guys explain a text Lester got last night?" Penelope looked at them.

"What did it say?"

"It said something about the girls being up to something." She narrowed her eyes at the three of them who gave her completely wide eyed innocent looks. "So, what are you up to?"

"It would serve you better to know nothing." Mary Lou said with a small grin.

Penelope closed her eyes and sagged against the pillows. "You're going to kill someone aren't you?"

"Who us?" Stephanie asked innocently.

"I can't defend all three of you, so you'd better decide who the mastermind is going to be since it looks like I'll be going back to defense." She informed them.

"Sorry, it's a team effort." Mary Lou told her, "Which means you'll have to be defended too."

"Wait, I don't even know what the plan is!" Penelope protested.

"Doesn't matter." Sheila said cheekily.

She glared at them before starting to laugh, which caused the other three to start laughing. It felt good, despite the pain she was in. The bond they had created amongst themselves years ago still felt as strong as it had been then. It was wonderful. They sat in a comfortable companionship with one another, laughing, acting as though not seeing each other for a decade had never happened.

And it all came screeching to a halt when Diane showed herself in.

"Oh geeze, could you look any more like a plastic Barbie?" Mary Lou said before she could stop herself.

Stephanie snorted with laughter at the look on Diane's face. The woman looked like she had bitten into a sour grape. She regained her composure quickly and looked down her nose at the three of them in the room. "I see you've started up with these women again out of charity, Penelope, with the way they're dressed."

"Diane." Penelope said, her voice dropping several degrees. "Is there something I can help you with?"

"Yes dear, but it needs to be done privately." She looked pointedly at who she viewed as the intruders.

"Sorry, not happening." Sheila said. "For all we know you've got a scalpel hidden in your fake boobs."

"Could you be any more crude?" Diane sniffed. "As if I would ever hurt my own child."

The three women looked at each other before looking back at Diane. They grabbed the available chairs and made themselves comfortable. Penelope shook her head with a smile. She was relatively certain that Diane wouldn't try anything right here in the hospital. She claimed to be too delicate to do anything that might break a nail. Murder had to go right along with it, Penelope assumed. After all, think of the blood she could get under her nails. It would hinder her attempts to find a rich young man to make her new sugar daddy.

"Diane, you wanted to talk. I suggest you talk." Penelope said folding her arms over her chest.

"Oh, sweetie, look at those bruises on your face. Tsk. The nurses should at least provide some make up for you so you can cover up."

"I'm in a hospital. Not at a ball."

Diane walked over and touched her cheek before Penelope pulled herself out her reach. "I'm worried about you. What happened to cause this?"

"Someone wanted me to compromise my position." She said vaguely.

"Would it have killed you to consider it?"

"No." She replied, but it would have killed plenty others. She could only imagine the number of teens and adults that had died thanks to Kazarra. And _that _would have killed her, knowing she could have prevented and didn't.

"Then why didn't you?"

"Because I was raised with principles and I won't sacrifice them for anyone." She said.

Diane rolled her eyes delicately. "You take your job too seriously."

"I'm a lawyer, Diane. What the fuck do you think I'm supposed to do?"

"You could marry someone wealthy enough to take care of you." Diane gave a dazzling smile. "You'd never have to work and you'd be safe. If you don't want to marry, you could use your father's money. In fact, that's what we should do. We should take a cruise together. It will give us time to get reacquainted and really learn each other. It'll be bonding time."

Penelope's eyes narrowed, well, as least as well as she could manage considering one of her eyes was pretty swollen. Her mother wanted to have some bonding time with her. The same woman who had told her at eighteen she could only hope to be as pretty as she was to get a husband. The very same woman who had taken it upon herself to ruin her marriage and claim it was just a misunderstanding. That all Penelope would have to do would be to turn the other cheek.

"Why?"

"Why what?" Diane blinked with an uncomprehending look.

Mary Lou and Sheila looked at each other raising an eyebrow. This woman was ridiculous. She had always been ridiculous, even when she visited Penelope at college. When they had first met her they had all tried being polite on their best behavior, but Diane had an uncanny knack for tearing Penelope down then and she turned her sights on all of them. All bets had been thrown off. There had been some really good arguments then and they had apologized to Pen, who had been more than impressed by how quickly they'd had her back. Diane pretending to feign idiocy right there was something that even they could see through.

"Why do you want to spend time with me?"

"That's what mothers and daughters do."

"Really?" Penelope looked at Stephanie. "Do you and your mother go on cruises together?"

"My mother and I aren't the best to look at for this one." Stephanie said weakly.

"Well, perhaps if you took care of yourself and weren't _such _a disappointment, your mother might want to do things with you." Diane wrinkled her delicate little nose. "After all, who wants to be around someone who rolls around in garbage?"

Sheila reached out and grasped Stephanie's elbow. Stephanie forced herself to stay in her seat. She took a deep breath and replied in an icy tone, "Who would want to spend time with someone who would prefer to pull the plug on their own child's life to get the money from her trust?"

Penelope watched the moment like a tennis match then stepped in. "Enough. Both of you. Diane, you and I both know that all you want is for me to give you more of Daddy's money. That's simply not going to happen. I don't trust you."

"What an awful thing to say!" Tears came to her eyes and she pulled out a handkerchief and delicately dabbed at them. "How can you be so cruel?"

"The truth hurts." She shrugged. "But instead of being smart and investing what he left you and taking care of yourself so you wouldn't be here, you squandered it and are now flat broke, am I right?"

"I was taking care of myself, that's how come I have nothing." She sniffled. "I just don't know what I did wrong!"

Penelope rolled her eyes. "Fine. Give me your accountant's phone number and I'll look over your financial records with him."

"I don't have one."

"How do you not have one? Did you stop using Mr. Gregory after Daddy died?" Penelope demanded.

"He was charging too much, and I didn't feel comfortable with him. He was just so old, sweetheart. Plus, Derek said—"

She held a hand up. "I don't care what Derek said. I'll get a hold of your financial records and see what went wrong."

"Then you'll help me out?" Diane's eyes shined with hope.

"I'll help you find a job." Penelope replied watching the light die out of her mother's eyes. Yep, exactly what she thought. Since her father wasn't alive to spoil his wife anymore, she was going to look at Penelope to do it. Not happening.

"A job?"

"Job: employment, something you are responsible for, paying work, duty." Mary Lou said.

Diane gave her a withering look, but Mary Lou simply smiled. "Think you're funny, don't you?"

"I'm a riot." Mary Lou replied.

"Penelope, sweetheart, really, do you have to befriend such…such…"

"Diane, I'll warn you once. Do not disrespect my sisters or I guarantee you will never hear or see from me ever again." Penelope said firmly. "Now, if you're finished trying to milk me for money I'm not giving you, then you'd best be on your way. It's almost lunch time."

"I don't feel safe here, dear." Diane said, determined not to leave. "Could you find someone to escort me home? Perhaps Mr. Manoso is available?"

"He is completely not available." Stephanie said. "As he told you last night, he is very unavailable."

"Hm. I'm not sure what you have that I don't that would interest him."

"A brain for one," Stephanie muttered low enough so Sheila could hear her. Sheila masked her laugh under a coughing fit, but from the looks on Mary Lou and Penelope's faces she could tell they had a good idea of what had been said.

"Perhaps you could call him and find out." Diane said imploringly as she looked at Penelope.

"Stephanie already told you he's not available." Penelope told her. "Goodbye Diane."

Diane took another look at the room, sniffed with an air of authority and walked out.

"Your mother is a bitch." Mary Lou announced the moment the door was closed.

"I thought she was a peach." Stephanie said with dry sarcasm, causing the women to laugh. "She's going to find a way to get to Ranger, isn't she?"

Penelope nodded. "She's going to do her damnedest."

"I wouldn't worry though, Steph." Mary Lou said. "After the last couple years, it's pretty obvious that he's only got eyes for you."

"Oh, I know." Stephanie smiled and drew her knees up to her chin. "It's too bad it took me a couple years to get to him, but I'm not leaving his side now. No, now I just have to wonder how long it will take before I decide to kick Diane's ass."

"Get in line." Penelope muttered.

"Hm, this is kind of a fun turn of events if you think about it." Mary Lou said with a wicked gleam in her eyes.

"What do you mean?" Sheila asked.

"Usually Steph gets the stalkers and crazies. Now Ranger gets one." Mary Lou started laughing.

"I would hardly say Diane is going to stalk him," Sheila said.

"I would." Penelope and Stephanie said together. They laughed then Penelope said, "She's got her eyes on Ranger's fortune. I imagine Derek has informed her of _how _successful he might be and she's going to try sinking her claws into him like a dog with a bone."

"But she'll have to get through me. And I'm not above hitting her to keep my man." Stephanie said folding her arms over her chest.

"He'd probably enjoy seeing that." Sheila laughed.

They sat and talked together for a couple hours. The doctor came by to see how Penelope was doing and planned to release her later in the afternoon. Mary Lou and Sheila both had to leave around noon, Mary Lou to get groceries before the kids came home and Sheila was teaching an art class at the local community center. It left Penelope and Stephanie alone in the room.

"So what's on your mind?" Penelope asked.

"Nothing." Stephanie shrugged.

"Liar. The only person who can read you better than anyone is Ranger, but all of us can tell when you've got something on your mind. You've been like this since you got here. Did Derek say something to you?"

"I told you he wanted me to turn over my power of attorney to him on you."

"Yeah, and I don't believe that would make you that thoughtful. I imagine you told him to kiss ass."

"Something like that."

"Spill it, Plum."

"He said—"

"Hello, ladies." Lester strolled in with Ranger behind him. Stephanie hid a smile as she watched Penelope's eye light up at the sight of Lester. Her own eyes gravitated toward Ranger who smirked at her. He walked over and kissed her.

"Something's burning, Babe." He said.

"Ha!" Penelope said in triumph. "I told you. Now spill it!"

"Fine. God, no wonder you're a lawyer. So damn bossy." Stephanie grumbled and folded her arms over her chest. "It was just something Derek said about Kaylee that had me thinking."

"What was that?" Lester asked sitting on the edge of Penelope's bed. He picked up her hand in his and entwined their fingers together.

"He said it was too bad her murderer didn't get me too. There would have been one less nosey person to worry about." She relayed.

"So?"

"One less nosey person to worry about." Penelope said looking thoughtful. Her eyes became sharp. "You think he knows something."

"I think it's possible." Stephanie said carefully, trying to control the fact that her spidey sense was swinging in overdrive.

"Do you plan to do anything?"

"Not really much I can do, I don't think." She answered. She glanced at Ranger who was looking at her with his blank face. She had the feeling he was trying to figure out what she was actually up to.

"Hmm." Penelope looked at her for a second then turned to Lester. "I get to leave in a few hours. I want pizza and the Princess Bride."

Lester laughed. "Yes ma'am."

"And Stephanie has to guard Ranger from his new stalker." Penelope grinned.

"My _what_?" Ranger looked back and forth between the women.

"Yup." Stephanie nodded. "Diane has decided you're her prime candidate to keeping her rich."

"Babe."

"Don't worry, Carlos," Stephanie stood up and wrapped her arms around him. "I plan to make sure you stay very safe from her."

Lester started laughing hard. "Are you going to put him in a safe house?"

"I might. Of course, I'll have to stay with you to make sure you don't try to leave and I'll throw away the key." She grinned up at him. She felt the growl in his chest as he bent down to take a deep kiss from her.

"Get a room!" Lester told them.

Stephanie sighed and let go of Ranger. "What a kill joy."

Ranger flashed her a grin then looked at Penelope. "Your system is all set up. Hector gave the codes to Lester so when you're ready to go home he'll show you where everything is." He wrapped an arm around Stephanie's waist, "Babe?"

"Yeah, I'm ready to go." She grabbed her purse. "See you later, Pen."

They walked out of the room and headed to the parking garage. As soon as they were settled in Ranger's Turbo, he asked, "Are you planning to look Derek up?"

"I don't know." She admitted. "I know I want to, but I'm not quite sure if he's just saying something to get a rise out of me or if he honestly knows something."

"What's your spidey sense telling you?"

"It's telling me to look him up."

"Listen to it, Babe. It hasn't failed you yet." Ranger said. "About Diane."

"Yeah, sorry, but the only thing we've figured is that Derek may have given her an _idea _of how successful you are. I'd be wary, Ranger." Stephanie said. She gave a lopsided grin, "I know you're used to having women of all shapes and sizes throw themselves at you, but Diane…"

"Babe. I'm not worried." He said picking up her hand and kissing the palm.

"No?"

"Nope. I've got you."

Stephanie grinned at him, even though in the back of her mind, she could hear Diane's voice wanting to know what Stephanie had that she didn't. She wasn't going to try answering that. She knew Ranger loved her for who she was, and he loved the person she had been before the Burg had gotten to her, even if he had never met her.

When they arrived back at Haywood, Ranger helped her out of the Turbo, then pinned her against it to give her a deliciously arousing kiss. She moaned excited as he slowly parted their lips.

"I've got meetings for the rest of the day, Babe. Meet me on seven for dinner?" He asked.

She nodded. "Kay."

He chuckled and led her to the elevator. He held her against him on their way up her back to his front. His fingers gripped her waist, massaging the skin gently. The doors slid open and they exchanged one last kiss before heading in opposite directions. Steph stopped at the break room first and grabbed a bottle of water. As soon as she was parked in front of her computer she grinned.

"Alright, Derek, let's see what you've got hidden."


	18. Chapter 18

**AN: I have to say that when I saw I have 101 people signed up to get alerts for this story it made me feel all warm and fuzzy inside! I'm so glad people are enjoying this story! Also, thank you to everyone who helped me find that fanfic! :-) You were all wonderful! So, here is another chapter for you're enjoyment. It took a little longer than I wanted for it to, but I hope you're not disappointed in the way things roll out.**

**Please Read and Review! **

* * *

**Rediscovery**

**Chapter 18**

Stephanie was ready to hit her head as hard as she could against her desk. How was it someone as sleazy as Derek could have a squeaky clean record? It was like he did everything right in the sense of the law, but when it came to his personal life he was the biggest bastard created. She let out a frustrated groan as she leaned back in her chair and rubbed her eyes. She'd been working on this search for hours and when she glanced at the clock her jaw dropped when she saw it was almost seven o'clock. Where had the time gone? And why hadn't Ranger stopped her from working at some point?

She looked around and found a note sitting next to her.

_**Babe- went on a takedown w/ Tank. See you when I get back –R**_

She grinned a little sheepishly. She must have been really focused to have missed him trying to get her attention.

Letting out a small sigh, she turned off her computer and walked to the elevator and headed to her apartment on four. Even as she locked herself in, stripped down and crawled into the shower, she was consumed with thoughts over the lack of results she'd found. How on earth could he be such a sleaze yet be squeaky clean? There had to be something. She had even looked at Penelope's and her own records, which did indeed still have the "public indecency" incident on it.

_One less nosey person to worry about._

What did that mean? Stephanie closed her eyes kept her head under the falling water, letting the heat from the shower ease the tension in her shoulders. Derek was bad news and her spidey sense was telling her it was on a whole new level of bad news. There was something about him that was extremely dangerous. The fact that he wanted her to give him Penelope's Power of Attorney was fishy enough. Well, not so much now that she knew what happened with Mark Thayer's fortune.

She stepped out of the shower, wrapping a towel around her and gently dried her hair with a towel, still focused. Could he have been responsible for the attack Penelope had?

Still lost in thought, she walked into her bedroom and changed into yoga pants and a tank top. As she walked back out to the kitchen she stood there with a Tastykake in one hand and a banana in the other. To a casual observer the fact that she was holding both of them and looking between them made it look like she was debating between the two. But in actuality, she was only glancing between the two, not really seeing either. What she was seeing was two different problems.

One was the attack Penelope had. Did Derek have anything to do with it? The protective friend in her wanted to automatically blame him for the fact that she was in the hospital. It would work well, wouldn't it? It would give someone for Lester to kill, but the common sense side of her told her she knew it wasn't Derek. After all, it _was _a possibility if he'd believed that he and Diane would receive a substantial portion of Penelope's fortune. Now that he knew that wasn't happening, was it really him? No, she shook her head slightly. No, it definitely wasn't him who caused the attack. She could tell that much. Right now his M.O. was going to consist of trying to weasel himself back into Penelope's life, which would be much harder to do with Lester in the picture.

And that took everything back to the question of who attacked her?

Her other problem was figuring out what Derek said about Kaylee. She thought about the conversation she had had with Ranger. His words about Kaylee gaining strength from their friendship came to her mind. If that was the case, which she suspected it was, what had she uncovered that someone would want hidden? Was Derek involved with _that?_ Something said he was involved…but how? She chewed on her lower lip as she continued to wonder. There were things she would have to look into, she decided. Someone would have to know what Kaylee had been up to the days before her death.

"Babe."

Stephanie shrieked and whirled around to find Ranger standing in the entryway to her kitchen leaning against the wall. He raised an eyebrow at her and looked at the banana and Tastykake. "Shit, Ranger! Don't _do _that!"

"I knocked." He gave her a killer grin. "You didn't hear me. Just like you didn't hear me when I told you I was leaving earlier."

"Sorry." She looked sheepish.

"Don't be. You were focused. Did you find anything?"

"No." She shook her head in disgust and looked back down at the objects in her hands. "He's so clean Mr. Clean should use him in his commercials."

Ranger laughed. "Babe. Why do you keep staring at those?"

"I've got two problems." She muttered as she looked at them again.

Walking up to her he took the banana and Tastykake from her. Holding up the snack cake he said, "This is bad for you. Loaded with fat and sugar, and dampens a certain drive of yours that I like to keep in overdrive." She snorted a laugh when he raised an eyebrow at her. Then he held up the banana. "This is good for you. Natural sugars to help boost your energy, potassium, good for heart burn, but mostly, I'd focus on the natural sugars and the increase of energy it gives you."

"Really?" Stephanie's eyebrows rose as she inched closer to him. He still held the debated objects. The debate in her mind temporarily took a back seat to the new quest that shot to the forefront and it starred the mouth-watering Cuban in front of her.

"Absolutely."

A small grin played on her lips as she looked at the Tastykake. "But this is so loyal. Kind of like a dog. You can never go wrong with it."

"Babe." He wiggled the banana in front of her.

A dangerous look came into her eyes, and Ranger wanted to push it farther. He had a good feeling of what she was up to. She smirked and stepped away from him. "As for the banana…well, Penelope's not the only one that has skills with a banana, _Carlos._"

His eyes dilated and Stephanie took off running for the bedroom. The Tastykake and banana were left forgotten on the floor as Ranger gave chase to his lover.

/\/\/\/\/\/\

They lay in a pile of tangled limbs. Their lips caressed each other's softly. Their heartbeats raced wildly against their chests, bodies still humming from the feel of the orgasms that had shaken the lovers so hard they'd seen stars. Fingers trailed a feather light path along skin, neither able to stop touching the other. The mere thought of separating only caused their lips to consume each other's hungrily.

"Babe." Ranger groaned softly. His lips trailed from her lips her neck. She shivered in delight at the feel of his tongue and teeth.

"That was amazing." She moaned softly. Stephanie could feel him nod against her neck. "I'm not sure if I can handle another round yet. I may need that banana yet."

Ranger chuckled and untangled them. He kissed her nose when she let out a whimper at the separation. He hurried to the kitchen, grabbing the banana and another one, along with two bottles of water. Coming back to the bedroom he smiled when he found Stephanie under the sheets. He crawled in beside her and handed her a banana and water.

"When was the last time you ate?" He asked.

"Lunch maybe." She shrugged as she leaned back onto his chest and peeled the banana. "I was really focused."

"What were you really debating over when I showed up?" He asked chewing on his own banana.

"I was trying to figure out if Derek had anything to do with Penelope's attack and if he had anything to do with Kaylee's murder." She replied. "Kaylee's murder has me thinking he had something to do with it, but I don't know what. Pen…I don't think he did, but I'm not sure. I want to say no."

"What are you going to do?" Ranger ran a finger up and down one of her arms lightly. He liked the casual conversation they were having with one another. Trying to figure out what was going on in her head was always something of a mystery to him and he was enjoying having the chance to unravel her thought process.

"Well, I'm going to talk to Micah." She sighed. "I don't know how willing he will be to talking to me about Kaylee, but I'm also going to call Mrs. Henderson and see if she'll talk to me. Kaylee's mother," Stephanie explained when Ranger raised an eyebrow at him, "I haven't seen her since the funeral so I don't know how receptive she'll be toward me."

"Did she not like you?"

"No, she seemed to enjoy meeting us when we met her, but I haven't reached out in nine years. The only way to find out if she'll talk to me is to call her." Stephanie answered. She finished her fruit and looked up at Ranger. "You know, I think I'm feeling those natural sugars kick in now."

/\/\/\/\/\/\

It turned out that Mrs. Henderson was more than willing to meet with Stephanie. In fact, Stephanie found herself agreeing to meet her for lunch at Pino's later. Kaylee had been to the Burg once or twice but it turned out that her mother did frequent business there. She had the day off and was very happy to hear from Stephanie.

Right now the Bombshell Bounty Hunter was sitting in a booth wondering if she should have called the girls to join her. She shook her head slightly. No, she didn't want to alert them to anything if she didn't have something concrete to tell them. As it was, she hadn't wanted to tell Penelope about Derek's words, but Pen was right. They're line of thinking was similar enough that she would catch when Stephanie was leaving things out.

"Stephanie?" She looked up to see a woman in her mid-fifties smiling down at her. She had dirty blonde hair that was cut stylishly short. She was slim and gave her a friendly look.

"Hi, Mrs. Henderson."

Ruth Henderson sat down and took in the woman before her. Stephanie Plum had been so full of life when she had met her. It was certainly different than the look she saw in her eyes now. She saw someone who had given up but was currently fighting back. The spark of life she had seen in the young woman's eyes looked like it was beginning to burn ablaze. Ruth had to wonder what happened to make Stephanie change her attitude towards life.

"Please, call me Ruth." She said. "I have to admit, I was surprised that you called me. We haven't heard from you since Kaylee's funeral."

"I know. I'm sorry." Stephanie bowed her head. "I should have contacted you sooner, but things just…"

Ruth reached over the table and took her hand giving it a gentle squeeze. "I understand dear. My husband and I still ache for Kaylee, but we're confident when it's our time to leave this world, we'll find Kaylee waiting for us."

Tears sprang to Stephanie's eyes. "Ruth, I am _so sorry _for not being with Kaylee that night."

"What on earth for?" Ruth looked thoroughly surprised.

"I just keep thinking if I had been there with her, maybe this wouldn't have happened. Whoever did it might not have chosen her."

"Would you have rather they chose you?" Ruth shook her head. "Stephanie, dear, I would never wish that on you, or on your parents. No parent wants to outlive their child. The pain of that…it's so terrible. It can be suffocating."

"I feel responsible." She admitted.

"You are not responsible for what happened to Kaylee." Ruth told her firmly. "The only one responsible is the one who took her life from her."

"But if she hadn't met us…"

"If she hadn't met the four of you she never would have started becoming the woman she was supposed to be." Ruth interrupted. "My husband and I do not blame you or the girls, Stephanie. Let me explain what we saw and why we loved that the four of you for being her friends.

"Growing up, Kaylee was always shy and so quiet. It made her an easy target against school bullies. She never complained, never did anything to hurt herself the way some kids have been bullied to do these days, bless them. Kaylee just focused on her books and wrote a small literary column for her school paper. Her journalism teacher wanted her to do more active pieces, but she was too shy or willing to try." Ruth shook her head. "Her brothers tried to get her to open up, to make friends with some of their friends' sisters. It just didn't happen. She was a great student.

"When she went to college her father and I both prayed that she would meet some friends. We so badly wanted her to be more social. At first it didn't seem like that was going to happen. Then one day she called us and said she met some girls at college who seemed to like her for her." Ruth smiled at Stephanie.

"She was being bullied." Stephanie replied. "It was crap so I went to stop them from doing it and Pen came to help."

"Yes, she said you two were the ring leaders of that." Ruth chuckled softly. "For the next three years every time we talked to her we heard a life in her voice that had never been there. She was telling us all the crazy stunts and antics the five of you would pull. She came home for Christmas break and told us she was going to major in journalism. She wanted to be a reporter to uncover things and make it known to the world. We were so thrilled. That's why when we met all of you we couldn't stop hugging you four for the first few minutes. It was so wonderful to see Kaylee have such a support system outside the house.

"Then we got that awful call that brought everything crashing down." Ruth stopped and swallowed hard against the lump in her throat. Picking up a napkin she dabbed her eyes carefully. Taking a moment to regain her composure she continued talking, "Stephanie, in life we meet people who help shape who we become. Both good and bad people will pass in and out. Rarely, though, do we find those people who become part of us. Kaylee found sisters she always wanted in the four of you. She grew up with four brothers. The pain of losing someone who is close to us like that is so very terrible. But you have to understand, that her father and I love you girls for helping our daughter discover who she was meant to be. We will never blame any of you for Kaylee's death."

Stephanie had started crying long before Ruth had finished. It took her several minutes to calm down and she understood what the older woman was telling her. Holding herself accountable for not being with Kaylee the night she was killed would solve nothing. So she would do her friend justice and find the bastard who did kill her.

"Now," Ruth smiled softly, "What can I do for you?"

"Ruth, I was, um, wondering if you had any idea of what Kaylee was working on when she was killed." Stephanie said.

"Unfortunately, I don't." Ruth admitted. "I do remember her telling me that she was working on a big story for the school paper, but she didn't want to tell anyone about it."

"Yeah, I remember her saying the same thing to us when we asked." Stephanie said dryly.

"Is there a particular reason you want to know?"

"Yes, but not one I'm willing to explain unless I know more." Stephanie answered.

Ruth nodded. "Alright, dear, I can understand that. I am glad you called though. Mr. Henderson and I packed up some of Kaylee's things and we came across something." She reached into her purse and pulled out a large bulky manila envelope. She handed it to Stephanie. "We didn't look in it, though we were tempted."

On the front of the envelope in Kaylee's handwriting were all four of their names. Stephanie ran her finger over it gently, and then asked, "Would you mind if we looked at it first before letting you see the items?"

"Of course not." Ruth smiled. "We respected Kaylee's privacy then and we'll respect yours."

They sat for a few more minutes talking and eating a few slices of pizza. As they exited Pino's Ruth stopped Stephanie. "Steph, you must know, we would love to see the four of you again. Please, if you can, try and stop by. Bring Micah too. The poor man has suffered as much, if not more, than we can imagine."

"Yes, that's a good idea." Stephanie nodded. "I'll talk to the girls."

When she arrived back at Haywood, Stephanie stopped at Ranger's office and knocked. She heard him bark, "Come in."

Ranger looked up at Stephanie as she walked into the office. She was holding a large envelope and her eyes were red rimmed and her nose a little puffy. "Babe what—"

She shook her head as she came around his desk. Setting the envelope on the desk, she cupped his face in her hands and kissed him deeply. After they broke apart, she rested her forehead on his. "I love you, Carlos."

"I love you, too, Babe. What happened?" He was beginning to get concerned.

Smiling, Stephanie shook her head. "Some clarification. And I just needed to tell you I love you and thank you for always helping me fly."


	19. Chapter 19

**AN: Hola! How's everyone doing? I had a bit of trouble with this chapter, but realized that Kaylee wanted to have a bit of a say in some things that Pen and Steph are doing so I gave her her moment. I hope everyone enjoys it. Thank you for all your reviews :-) They mean the world to me!**

**Please Read and Review**

* * *

**Rediscovery**

**Chapter 19**

"Babe, what's in the envelope?" Ranger asked finally. After her thanks, he had pulled her into his lap and they had sat together, just enjoying the feel of one another. Normally, Stephanie couldn't handle long periods of silence, but in this case she had reveled in it.

"I haven't got a clue." Stephanie answered picking it up. "It's from Kaylee to the four of us. I'm going to call them and see if they want to get together to find out what's in it. I won't open it without them."

Ranger nodded in agreement. "Did you have a chance to talk to Micah?"

"No." Stephanie sighed. "After talking to Ruth, my emotions hit a drained high and all I could think about was coming back to you and getting in your arms for a moment or two." She swallowed and blinked back tears that pricked at the corners of her eyes. "I need to be a little more prepared to deal with Micah. In fact, I may just have to take Jace with me."

"What are you going to do for the rest of the evening?" He asked her.

"I'm going to call the girls and see if they want to get together. Since Pen is getting out of the hospital today I figure it'd be easier to go to her place." Stephanie answered. She rested her head on his shoulder and closed her eyes, reveling in the feel of his hand running up and down her arm. "Will you come?"

"Babe?"

Taking a deep breath, she explained, "All of us were really close. Seeing whatever is in this envelope is going to be intense, I think. I'd feel better knowing you were there with me."

"Sure, Babe. I'll be there." Ranger kissed her forehead. Secretly, he was glad she was leaning on him. He'd seen her rebellious side streaking out and was happy knowing she was gaining herself back.

With a small sigh, she got up out of his lap and grabbed the package. "I'm going to give the girls a call. It'll probably be better to do it after dinner. It'll give Pen a chance to rest and Mare a chance to get her boys settled, I think."

/\/\/\/\/\/\

Getting all of them together was easier than Stephanie thought it would be. Mary Lou and Lenny had her parents over to watch the boys when Stephanie told her what she had gotten from Ruth. Sheila and Jace were free as well. All of them agreed to meet at Penelope's condo after dinner. Since she had just gotten out of the hospital, none of them wanted to do anything that would cause Penelope more discomfort than she was already in.

Ranger drove Stephanie and himself to the condo in silence. He was in his usual zone while Stephanie was staring at the package in her hands. It had been a temptation for the better part of the day, but she was afraid of opening it. What if it contained things that none of the girls wanted to see? Or what if contained evidence to her killer? Would Ranger and the men be able to stop the four of them from trying to kill the person?

Stephanie was so lost in thought that she blinked in surprise when she realized that they were in front of Penelope's condo.

"Ready, Babe?" Ranger asked. He could see the warring emotions on her face.

"Yeah, I think so." She murmured.

Getting out of the car, he went to the other side and opened her door. He wrapped an arm around her waist and lead her to the door gently. He knew she was nervous. Sheila opened the door before they had a chance to knock.

"Well, boo." Sheila sighed. "We ordered some pizza. Penelope apparently slept all day and missed dinner. You don't look like a pizza delivery boy."

"Sorry." Stephanie laughed. "I'm missing some equipment for that."

"And the pizza." Sheila retorted letting them in. She looked at the package in Steph's hands. "Any idea what's in it?"

"None." She answered. "I couldn't bring myself to open it without all of you."

They walked into the living room where everyone was situated. Penelope was sitting on the couch leaning up on Lester who looked like he was going to hang onto her for the rest of his life. Mary Lou and Lenny were sitting on the floor next to the coffee table while Sheila and Jace took up the space on the love seat. The other spots on the couch were available for Ranger and Stephanie.

"When did you meet with Ruth?" Penelope asked.

"I met with her at lunch." Stephanie said. "I wanted to know if she knew anything about what Kaylee was working on when she was killed."

"What did she say?" Jace asked.

Stephanie took a deep breath and relayed the conversation to all of them. By the time she had finished, all the women had tears in their eyes and were blinking furiously. Penelope took a shuddering breath and said, "Let's see what our girl left us."

Leaning forward, Stephanie ripped open the envelope and dumped the contents on the coffee table. A picture frame, 2 DVDs, a necklace, a key and various pictures scattered across. The women leaned forward and looked at all of it.

"Huh. I remember this." Mary Lou picked up the picture frame. It was taken at the beach house. Or more precisely it had been taken up on the cliff that Stephanie and Penelope had dived off a couple weeks ago. The photo had all the women in it, but instead of seeing the front of them, all you saw were their backs as they jumped off the cliff, all their hands joined together. Micah had been the one to take the picture. He was always good with a camera while Jace was usually capturing everything on video.

At the bottom of the picture was a single word in Latin: _Solidarietas_.

"Solidarietas…solidarity." Penelope murmured. Lester rubbed her back gently, trying to comfort her.

Sheila picked up the DVDs. One was labeled 1 and the other labeled 2. She frowned at them. "I think we're supposed to watch these in order."

"What do you think is on it?" Mary Lou asked. Lenny wrapped an arm around her, holding her close.

"I have no idea." Stephanie whispered.

"We'd better find out. No telling what Kaylee will do to us when she finds out we didn't watch them." Sheila said. She stood to get the first DVD in the player as the doorbell rang. Jace went to the door and paid for the pizza and brought it back. He set it down on an unused area of the coffee table and sat back down.

The women all sat frozen as the screen lit up and Kaylee came into view.

_"Hey ladies!" Kaylee spoke cheerily. She sat on a bed, which they recognized from their old dorm room. "I'm making this out of caution." Kaylee laughed. "I don't foresee ever having to give it to you guys, but you never know. There were just some things I wanted to make sure you guys knew if anything does happen. The world we live in…well, it's just fucked up, isn't it? So much ugly and hardly any beauty in it."_

_Kaylee sighed and folded her legs under her. "You guys are the best friends I could ever ask for. If hadn't been for any of you, I would never have met Micah." She grinned widely in the camera. "And let me tell you, I love my Irish man."_

The girls all laughed.

_Kaylee leaned back on the bed. "There are things I want tell all of you. But it starts from a club we went to back in August. Remember?" She cocked her head thinking for a second then said, "Actually, Stephanie won't remember. You were so drunk I wasn't sure if we'd have to take you to the hospital."_

"What club in August?" Stephanie asked.

Penelope burst out laughing, trying to stop against the pain from her injuries. "Damn. She's right. You don't remember."

"Do you?"

"I recollect a vague memory." Penelope replied, "Which is more than you can do!"

_"To help out, I 'borrowed' one of Jace's videos. This is of that night. You'll need a refresher before I continue."_

The screen faded out. When it came back everything started in an SUV.

_"Hurry up, Steph!" Penelope was yelling. "If we're going to get to Newark, you have to get your ass in the SUV!"_

_"Oh, shove it, Pen." Stephanie got in the very back and shut the door. She folded her arms across her chest and glared out a window._

_"What crawled up your ass?" Pen asked._

_Mary Lou was sitting in the front next to Lenny. She giggled as she turned back to face them. "Joe Morelli is back from the Navy."_

_"Are you shitting me?" Jace asked from the front driver's seat._

_"Nope." Mary Lou started laughing. "He saw Stephanie and walked up to her and grabbed her for a kiss."_

_An unusual noise came from the back where Penelope and Stephanie sat. Penelope looked at Stephanie. "Did you just growl?"_

_"It gets better." Mary Lou continued, "He called her Cupcake, and the next thing he knew he was on the ground holding his balls with one hand and his eye with the other hand."_

_"Bitter much?" Kaylee asked laughing as she looked at Stephanie._

_"He's a fucking prick." Stephanie muttered. "And my mother found out. She called wanting to know why her daughter was kissing a Morelli boy. No one she knows continues to kiss the Morelli boys."_

_"Now, now," Kaylee leaned back against Micah who was looking thoroughly amused by the banter. "She just wants to look out for her little girl. After all, didn't you say the girls in the Burg are supposed to get married? Maybe she's just trying to find a ring for you."_

_"Fuck the ring!" Stephanie snapped out. "Just bring a box of condoms. Oh and a string of willing men."_

Stephanie's face felt flaming hot as she recognized the similarity to the words that Ranger had once said to her. She snuck a look at him. He had an eyebrow raised. She said weakly, "I was a different person then."

"Babe."

_"Damn, Steph. If you're not careful the boys are just going to use you left and right." Lenny said._

_"Did it ever occur to anyone that I'm the one doing the using?" Stephanie demanded. "It seems to be just fine for all the men in world to go and fuck themselves silly with any willing woman, but when a woman does it she's accused of being used and being a slut."_

_"Well…what do you call your current goal?" Penelope asked amiably._

_"I'm simply exploring my sexual nature." Stephanie said looking defiant. "It's not my fault men can't keep up with me."_

_"Aw, infantula misera*," Kaylee said cheekily._

_"Did you just Latin me?" Stephanie raised her eyebrows._

_"I so just Latined you." _

Everyone in the room laughed with their younger counterparts in the video at the banter. The screen faded away briefly before coming back into a club.

_"Pen, have you seen Steph?" Kaylee yelled over the thumping bass of the music._

_"She was dancing with some guys a little bit ago." Penelope yelled back. "Hell, she's almost three sheets to the wind as it is."_

_"Not almost! Already is!" Kaylee grabbed a shot glass and threw it back. "Her mother is a piece of work. Is it safe to let her drink after dealing with her?"_

_"It's probably better to let her." Jace said his voice was behind the camera, showing all of them who was holding it. "At least for a bit."_

_"Oh fuck!" Mary Lou came rushing up to them. "You guys _have _to see who Steph is making out with! He's gorgeous!" She pointed over her shoulder. _

_The camera zoomed in across the room where they got a side profile of Stephanie, who was currently off the ground, with her legs wrapped around the waist of the man she was currently tongue warring with. The dark skin of the man contrasted sensually with Stephanie's light skin tone._

Lester sat forward staring at the screen. Suddenly he started laughing. "Oh shit. That's brilliant."

"What is?" Penelope asked.

He pointed at the screen. "Steph's make out partner."

They all looked closely at the screen. Lester grabbed the remote and hit pause. Ranger was staring hard at the screen unable to believe what he was seeing. A look at Stephanie told him she was as shocked as he was. Her jaw was hanging open.

Lester was continuing to laugh. "Oh, man. I can't believe you two really started nine years ago and neither of you remember!"

Stephanie was staring at the screen. Sure enough, the man she was wrapped around in the video was a younger Ranger. The build was the same, his hair cut short due to the military, but there he was, holding her off the ground, pressing her against a wall and she was wrapped around him desperately.

"I don't remember that night." Stephanie said.

"Neither do I." Ranger replied.

Lester grinned at them and hit play.

_"Holy cow." Kaylee's eyes widened. "I bet he's built enough to keep up with her."_

_"Shit," Sheila joined them. "I don't think we're separating them. Should we slip a condom into one of their pockets?"_

_"Can we get between them to put one in a pocket?" Micah asked._

_A man walked up to the couple. He tapped Ranger on the shoulder and said something. From the gesture Ranger gave him, he clearly wasn't going to part from Stephanie._

_Kaylee walked away from the group and up to the man. Jace followed, leaving everyone else. The man trying to get Ranger's attention was none other than Lester. He looked over at Kaylee. "Is she a friend of yours?"_

_"Yeah." Kaylee nodded._

_"Sorry, but our grandmother is flying up from Miami. She's a little pissed with Carlos right now." Lester pointed over his shoulder. "He's pretty drunk as it is so I'm trying to get him home to sleep it off before she shows up."_

_"So is she." Kaylee sighed. "I'll help you."_

_Together they turned back to the tongue-locked couple. It took ten minutes of Lester and Kaylee talking. Over the bass of the music Jace caught the words, "Abuela…pissed…daughter…" That seemed to do the trick and Carlos slowly lowered Stephanie. Kaylee wrapped an arm around her friend's waist and led Stephanie away from the men. _

_"Where are we going?" Stephanie asked. "I was tingly!"_

_"We're going to sober you up." Kaylee said. "If you want to explore your sexual nature, being a bit sober is probably good."_

_"But I want the tingles back." Stephanie said trying to lead Kaylee in a circle to go back to where she was. Kaylee held her firmly and continued to lead her back to their friends._

_"Aw, Steph, you're not going to get laid?" Penelope asked offering a sip of her drink._

_"Pen, he gave me tingles." Stephanie took on a dreamy look. "No one has ever made me tingle before."_

_"It could've been the drinks you inhaled." Penelope said._

_"NO!" Stephanie shook her head. "It was him. Where'd he go?"_

_"He's in trouble with his grandma." Kaylee said._

_"Aw. Sad." Stephanie looked downcast._

The screen faded and Kaylee came back into view sitting on the bed in the dorm room.

_"I realize it won't ring any bells for you, Steph." Kaylee smiled. "After all, the next morning when we brought it up you looked at us like you thought we'd lost our minds. But, and I know this will sound funny, I noticed that afterward you seemed so dissatisfied with sleeping with any willing man. It made me think that the tingles you were pining after in the club were very real. If they were, then I hope you find Carlos again. Perhaps it's the hopeless romantic that resides permanently inside me, but I'd never heard you talk about any man giving you tingles. Sure, you talked about their performance in bed, but something told me that Carlos was different. I kind of wonder what would have happened if he hadn't had to go sober up before his grandma showed up._

_"That's one of the things I want to tell you. Right now, you're just so pissed with being defined by the Burg I get the feeling you won't listen to me. Just...make sure you never settle for someone who doesn't give you those tingly feelings. You're strong, Steph, one of the strongest people I know. Your mother is just wow. It's hard to believe you came from someone so belittling. _

_"Pen. Well, you're as bad as Steph really. I get the feeling you two are so scared of feeling what it's like to really love that both of you are willing to chew men up and spit them out before they have a chance to blink. I get that that your mom fucked up with you growing up. I mean who tells their daughter they can only hope to be as pretty as them?" Kaylee sighed. "Sheila, Mary Lou and I...well, I think it's safe to say we found our guys. The two you though, you've had to guard yourselves in different ways._

_"Pen, someday, someone is going to make you want to give in and open yourself to him. Hopefully you'll do it. And Stephanie…" Kaylee smiled. "Someday someone will make you fly."_

_Kaylee sat up folding her legs Indian style on the bed. "I love you guys. You're my sisters. I want all of us to find our great loves because that's the kind of hopeless romantic I am. Someday I'll say this to your faces when I'm feeling ballsy. Right now, not so much. I've got a major report to do for the school paper. I'm getting in deep, and I want to make sure I get this done. This will be one of the biggest pieces that the school has ever had on their front pages."_

_She leaned forward about to turn off the camera then paused. "Actually. A couple more things. Mary Lou, I know you're probably going to move back to the Burg when you're done with college, but do me a favor? Keep teaching kids to dance. You lit up whenever you watched them progress in the classes. You have such an amazing way with the kids, you'll be an amazing mother, but you're also an amazing teacher. You should stick with it. And Sheila, I better see the next great painting splashed all across art magazine covers. I saw the one you're working on of Jace and let me just say Wow. Not only is it a beautiful piece, but damn do you have a fine specimen of a man there._

_"All of you. Make sure you live your lives. Love you to death." Kaylee grinned._

The screen faded to black. All the girls had tears in their eyes. The men held them close and let them cry. Ranger thought of the part of the video where he was making out with Stephanie. Hearing the words Lester had said in it brought up the memories surrounding that night. He had just signed away his rights to Julie and was feeling pissy. Lester had suggested they go to a club. Ranger didn't really remember much after throwing back several shots and a few other drinks. The ballsy way Kaylee had gotten in their faces via video made him like her. He had a feeling that eventually, she would have said these things to their faces.

"What's the second one got on it?" Mary Lou finally asked.

Wordlessly Sheila stood up and put the second DVD on.

They were all silent as they watched it. It didn't look like anything that any of them had done. All it seemed to be were clips of all of them doing different things. None of them were behind the camera. In a lot of the clips they could see Jace or one of them holding the camera capturing the random events. Most of the scenes came a few weeks before Kaylee's death. They all recognized the events.

At the end of the video words popped up: _You can't protect them. Keep digging and you'll lose them._

"Oh god." Stephanie whispered. "Whatever she was working on was really big."

"Big enough for the culprit to threaten _us_ to get her to stop writing it." Penelope said.

"But she didn't." Sheila shook her head. "We would have known."

"Steph, I know you're going to start digging." Mary Lou said, "but be careful."

* * *

***infantula misera = poor baby**


	20. Chapter 20

**AN: Hello everyone :-) How are you all doing tonight? I have to give a special thanks to Emelie Martel for bringing a plot point to my attention, whether she realized it or not :-) It clicked several things into place that I needed so that things will hopefully work the way I want. Thank you all for your reviews. I love them all! Enjoy this next chapter!**

**Please Read and Review!**

* * *

**Rediscovery**

**Chapter 20**

Stephanie looked at Mary Lou and nodded. "I will be."

"The date on the first DVD," Sheila took a deep breath, "It was a week before she died."

"You saw that too?" Penelope leaned into Lester, resting her head on his shoulder. "I really want to know what she was working on now and what was so deadly about it."

"Ladies," Jace shifted and looked upward to the ceiling. "I hate to have to be the one to say this, but the second video has to go to the TPD."

"Why?" Stephanie demanded.

"Because she was killed here in Trenton and it is evidence." Jace replied. "It reopens the case."

"He's right." Penelope said. "We have to give it to them."

"Fine." Stephanie sighed. She didn't want to give over the DVD but she knew they were right.

"You know," Mary Lou sat there looking through the other pictures. There were five of them total, "None of these pictures match."

"What do you mean?" Sheila leaned forward.

Mary Lou arranged the photos so all the women could see. The men leaned over to look at them as well. "They are all in various places."

Stephanie studied the five pictures. She was right; they were all in various places. Kaylee was in one of them smiling shyly at the camera. She was coming out of the university library. "We were nineteen." Stephanie said holding up the picture of Kaylee. "I can tell that much. It took a while before we could convince Kaylee it was okay to ham up for the camera."

"Stephanie," Sheila started laughing, "Here's you. You were exploring your sexual nature, I believe you called it." Sheila held up the photo. Stephanie was leaning on a table outside an ice cream parlor. The look she was giving the camera was one of pure mischief. She was sitting across from two men who looked like they were waiting on her next words.

"Oh, god, Kaylee." Stephanie groaned. "Of all the pictures…"

Penelope looked at the picture and laughed, "I don't think she was exploring her sexual nature. I think she was trying to win a bet."

"Oh, yeah, I was." Stephanie said with a small laugh.

"You remember the bet?" Lester asked intrigued.

"Yep." She said ending the discussion as she held up a picture of Mary Lou. "This was when you were still teaching, Mare."

Mary Lou was inside a dance studio surrounded by little girls in tutus. The class had just finished and Mary Lou was laughing at something to the side of the camera.

"Sheila in her art studio." Jace held up the photo. "One of your experimental phases."

"Hey!" Stephanie exclaimed. "That was a great phase! You just can't beat water-balloons filled with paint! It was awesome!"

"You weren't the targets!" Lenny said with a disgusted sigh.

"Poor babies." Penelope teased.

"Really, honey, the three of you should've won the rock-paper-scissors." Mary Lou said with a dismissive tone.

"The five of you cheated." Jace said. "That's our story and we're sticking to it." It's what he, Micah, and Lenny had decided after being victims to the five of them using the paint-filled water balloons on them. In the picture Sheila was standing in front of a large canvas working diligently on the silhouettes.

"Pen, what's going on here?" Stephanie asked holding up the picture.

They all looked at the picture. Penelope was interacting with someone. Actually, when they looked closely, they saw she was arguing with Derek. They were sitting in a restaurant both looking decidedly pissed off.

"What does it look like?" Penelope replied.

"Okay, smart ass, but you argue with everyone." Stephanie pointed out.

Penelope took the picture and studied it for several minutes before saying, "My father."

"Mark?" Mary Lou looked at her.

"We were arguing about him. He'd slipped into a coma and Derek was trying to convince that pulling the plug was a good idea." Penelope said setting the picture down. "Why would she capture that?"

"She wouldn't know." Stephanie said reaching up and squeezing her friend's hand. "Look at it this way, chances are she saw you arguing and knew that was you in action." Pen nodded and took a deep breath to block out that memory. In the end her mother had ignored her and told the doctors to pull the plug. Her reasoning had been that Derek made a valid point.

Stephanie picked up the necklace. It was a four-leaf clover. "Micah gave her this." She smiled sadly. "To bring her luck."

"I'm going to see Micah tomorrow." She told them. "Maybe he'd want it back?"

"Only way to find out is to take it with you." Sheila said, "But I don't think he will."

"I doubt it." Lenny said leaning back on the floor. "The man was a wreck when we got to him. We thought dealing with Steph was bad, it was even worse dealing with Micah."

Jace nodded. "He had to go to the hospital too."

"What for?" Stephanie looked up.

"Broke his hand."

"Oh." Stephanie gazed away from all of them. It bothered her a little bit that she had never gone to see Micah after the funeral. It was just like him to welcome them back with open arms after being missing in action for nine years.

"Steph, it's okay. Micah understands." Sheila said. "You were always the most vocal with your emotions. Hell, with the life you had growing up, I'm partially surprised you didn't become a criminal to escape it."

"Hey!"

"She's got a point." Penelope couldn't help but tease. "After all, you were notorious for throwing things when you got angry. You were angry when you found out about Kaylee. Dealing with the grief of that just wasn't an option. So you destroyed the dorm room."

"God, my parents must have been furious when the school contacted them about the bill for that." Stephanie sighed. "No wonder she's been hounding me."

Everyone, except for Ranger and Lester who sat silently watching the events, started looking around. Stephanie noticed and said, "What?"

"Your parents never got the bill." Penelope said finally when she realized no one else was going to.

"Who did?"

"I did." Penelope shrugged and continued, "We were all grieving. Steph, you did some really heavy damage to the dorm room. Your parents would still be paying it off. I didn't want anyone to worry about something like that. I used some of Dad's money to pay for it, knowing he would have done the same thing."

"I, for one, am glad your temper has calmed down." Jace said with a grin. "It was never fun trying to dodge whatever object you managed to grab hold of so you could throw it at someone."

"I just sort of…lost the energy to get that angry." Stephanie replied. Ranger's arm had slid around her waist and he squeezed her side gently.

"Well, if you get it back can you direct into…exploring your sexual nature?" Sheila said with a laugh.

That broke the tension in the room and everyone started laughing. They spent the rest of the evening trading stories from their college days, to Jace, Lester and Ranger's days in the Army together. When Penelope's eyes started closing thanks to the pain medication that Lester had made sure she took, the rest of them bid farewell and headed in their separate directions. Jace took the second DVD to make sure it made its way to the police, gaining a brief glare from Stephanie.

Lester looked down at Penelope as he laid her down in bed. Hearing what had happened to her father made him realize why it was important to her to have someone who would give her a chance to fight. It must have infuriated her when she found out her father had died. But it still didn't explain _why _Penelope would end up marrying Derek.

In the Turbo on the way home, Stephanie looked at Ranger and gave a sheepish grin. "I can't believe you and I were at the same club _and _making out with each other."

Ranger picked her hand up and kissed it. "Neither can I, but I think we're making up for it pretty well."

"You'd given up your rights to Julie hadn't you?" When he glanced at her she said, "The bits I could hear Lester saying in the video gave me the impression your Abuela was pissed off about Julie. You said you had given up your rights to her, so given the time frame…"

"You never disappoint, Babe." He flashed a grin at her. "Yeah, I'd given them up. I wasn't in a particularly good place at that time."

"You and me both, as you could see." Stephanie laughed. "Boy, what a pair we would've made then."

Ranger chuckled. "Yeah." He kissed the palm of her hand as he drove. "I like Kaylee. She was ballsy."

"It's too bad she never had a chance to say it to my face." Stephanie sighed. "But she eventually did say it to me. And she was right. At that point, I was too busy being angry at being defined by the Burg and trying to avoid what they wanted me to be. I wouldn't have listened." She smiled.

They pulled into Haywood. When they came to seven, Ranger walked over to his cd player and turned on some music. Instead of his usual classic an upbeat tempo came on. Stephanie couldn't resist moving her hips to it. Her eyes closed and she let the beat guide her body. She felt Ranger's strong hands on her hips. Finding her back to his front, his hands moving across her tummy to encase her completely, they moved together, their bodies finding the beat. Stephanie's head fell back onto his shoulder, giving him access to her neck, which he took greedily.

Their bodies continued to move sensually. His teeth nipped the skin, extracting a moan from her. "_Ranger."_

"Carlos, babe." He said. "Nine years ago, it was Carlos."

Her lips curled up into a sultry smile. They were going to finish the night they'd had nine years ago, except they were both sober this time. "Yes, Carlos." She shivered in delight as he growled. His hands slid underneath her shirt, meeting her bare skin. "Take me to bed, Carlos."

"With pleasure, Babe."

They danced their way to the bedroom, clothes shedding as they went. Stephanie found herself whirled around so that she was facing Ranger. Her eyes took in his sculpted body and she sighed with appreciation. Her hands slid up his chest, her finger tips lightly caressing, bringing shudders from him. She leaned forward and kissed his chest softly, watching as goose bumps formed across his body. When she reached his neck she caught the curve in her mouth and bit down softly, extracting a deep groan from him. Her hands slid around to his back and moved upward until her hands were holding onto his shoulders.

Ranger's hands were at her waist, digging in. His breath was coming in ragged gasps. He backed them up to the nearest wall and hoisted her off her feet. Her deep sapphire eyes met his liquid onyx ones. In a quick movement he slid a couple fingers into her. Stephanie gasped and whimpered at his delicious assault. Her legs wrapped around his waist, trying to gain some balance. His thumb found her clit. With a growl he caught her lips with his own as he continued his attack on her. Stephanie could feel the head of his cock beneath her. It brushed against her softly, making her wetter. She needed him inside her. At that very moment.

"Carlos." She growled, "I need you to be in me. Like yesterday."

Ranger chuckled as he removed his fingers. Gripping her waist tightly he thrusted deep into her, extracting a slight shriek from her. She gasped as he thrusted hard into her. "God, Babe." He groaned deeply as she met his thrusts.

"Ohgodohgodohgod, Carlos!" She screamed out as the orgasm shot through her. Stephanie clung to him as he thrusted once more, emptying himself into her with a growl of triumph. She tightened around him, determined to keep him inside her. Ranger held them against the wall.

Stephanie's head fell to his shoulder. "You think that's what it would've been like nine years ago, Batman?"

"No, Babe." He chuckled as he carried her to the bed. "Neither of us were sober. It wouldn't have been that good."

"Mmm. Maybe we should just keep making up for that night." She purred into his ear and let out a delighted gasp when he hardened inside her.

/\/\/\/\/\/\

"Stephanie." Micah smiled at her. "What brings you by?"

"Hi, Micah." Stephanie returned the grin and hopped up on a bar stool, leaning over to kiss him on the cheek. Settling back down onto the stool, she sighed. "I'm here to talk about Kaylee."

"What about her?" He asked as he wiped out one of the glasses.

"I'm sorry I didn't come see you sooner." She said uncomfortable with flat out asking what Kaylee had been working on when she died.

Micah shrugged. "It's okay. I wasn't in any shape to be consoled. When the police arrived to question me, I think they were pretty well convinced that I hadn't killed her."

"I don't know why they would think that." Stephanie shook her head. "You're one of the best people I know."

"Maybe so, but they had jobs to do and that's what they were doing." Micah set the glass down. "Steph, I won't love anyone the way I loved Kaylee. Maybe I'll love someone someday, but it won't be the way I loved her. She was the other half of me. I know you're sorry you haven't come to see me, but I get it. All of us just fell apart from each other when she died. It took some time before anyone started reconnecting again. I'm glad of it. Seeing you girls together gives me some peace of mind. You keep Kaylee alive in your own way. Now, since I'm sure you came here for another reason, why don't you tell me what it is?"

"I want to know what she was working on when she died." Stephanie said.

"For her classes?"

She shook her head. "No, for the school paper. What was the article? Did she tell you?"

"Sorry, Steph, but Kaylee didn't even want me knowing about it. All she said was that she wanted all of us to be proud of her when it was finished."

"We were always proud of her articles." Stephanie said frustrated.

"Something about this one though…" He shook his head. "There was something about that article that gives me the impression that she would have surprised all of us, but in a good way."

"I've been wondering about it." Stephanie said.

"Why now?" Micah asked. "Why not back when it happened?"

"I…" She looked down at her hands. "I don't have a good reason for not looking then, but due to some recent events I'm looking now, and I'm not going to stop until I find out what it is that she was after."

Micah stared at her long and hard. Stephanie had changed and for the better. She didn't seem as angry to him. She seemed to be in more control of herself. "Alright, what happened to make you start looking now?"

She looked up at him and smiled faintly, then explained what happened at the hospital with Derek that caused her to start thinking. She told him about the package that had been left for the five of them, including what was on the DVDs. Reaching into her pocket, she pulled out the necklace. "I brought this with me. I thought you might like to have it back."

Micah took the necklace from her and looked at it. He turned it over in his fingers for several moments, memories flooding his mind. Memories filled with laughter and love. "No." He shook his head. "Steph, hang on to it. I gave it to Kaylee for luck. She always laughed that it seemed to work for her. Whatever happened the night she was killed, she didn't have it on her. Maybe it would have saved her, maybe not. But maybe it will bring you luck in finding the bastard who did this to her."

She accepted the necklace back and put it in her pocket. They sat there in silence for a few moments. Micah reached across the counter and squeezed her hand. "Find whoever did it, Steph. Kaylee deserves the chance to rest in peace and her murderer being on the loose isn't going to do it. If I think of anything or remember anything, I'll let you know."

Out of the corner of his eye, he saw some of his regulars come in and head to a back room where they would meet. He looked back at Steph. She nodded at him. "I'd better get back to RangeMan."

"Steph," He said when she was off the stool. "Don't be a stranger anymore."

"Sure, Micah. We'll be back real soon, and we'll bring the boys with us." She grinned as she left, not noticing the other patrons.

She drove in silence back to Haywood. She had promised Ranger she would come back after she was done talking to Micah. She needed to work on some searches and she knew Vinnie would have some skips waiting for her. They would have to occupy her for the moment until she decided what her next move.

Stephanie pulled into the garage and parked. She gave a finger wave to the cameras as she passed it. Ram met her at the elevator when she stepped off it onto five.

"Bomber, Detective Morelli is here to see you."

* * *

**Originally, I was going to stop the scene with Ranger and Stephanie with her demand that he take her to bed, but after getting them worked up, I thought it'd be mean to just tease y'all so I finished it.**


	21. Chapter 21

**AN: I don't own them, I'm just playing.**

**On a whole, I haven't quite decided how I feel about this chapter. I'm not sure if I conveyed what I wanted, but hopefully you guys enjoy it nonetheless. Thank you all for your wonderful reviews! They make me smile and giddy when I see them waiting for me in my email!**

**Please Read and Review!**

* * *

**Rediscovery**

**Chapter 21**

_**Earlier that day…**_

Mary Lou finished sweeping her kitchen and gave a sigh of satisfaction as she gave the rest of her house a good quick overview. It was good and clean. It never took her long in the mornings to clean the house. The boys were responsible for their rooms, and that was once a week. It only took a couple hours to clean the rest of the house in the mornings. Even then, it never took long since she rotated what chores were done what days.

This gave her more downtime than she realized. She sat down at one of the chairs at the table in the kitchen and looked out the window at the backyard speculatively. After Kaylee had died, she had continued dancing. Lenny encouraged it, knowing that it was helping with her grief. After the news that she was pregnant the first time, she had stopped teaching. But now…Kaylee was right, Mary Lou thought with a sigh. She had always loved teaching dance. Perhaps it would be a good idea to get back into it. She would talk to Lenny that night and see what he thought, though she was pretty sure he'd tell her to do it.

A brisk knock on her front door got her attention. When she opened it she blinked in surprise. "Joe. What can I do for you?"

"Sorry, Mary Lou, but I'm here on official business." He said. "About the death of Kaylee Henderson."

"Ahh, I see." She nodded. Opening the door wider, she said, "Come in." She took him back to the kitchen. "Would you like some coffee?"

"Yes please." Joe nodded. "How's Lenny?"

"He's fine." Mary Lou poured him a cup and set it in front of him as he sat at the table. She sat across from him. "What do you want to know?"

"Are you aware that we received information regarding Kaylee Henderson this morning?" He asked.

"Yes."

"Do you know what it was about?"

Mary Lou shrugged. "It was in an envelope addressed to the four of us. We watched the DVDs."

"There's more than one?" He looked at her.

"The other one was personal toward the rest of us. There was nothing threatening on it."

"I'm sorry Mary Lou, but I will need that other DVD." Joe said.

"I don't have it."

"Who does?"

"I don't know." If anyone could pull off a blank look to rival Ranger's it would be Mary Lou. Joe couldn't read her at all. He knew one of the women would have that other DVD. He would get it somehow.

Letting out a sigh he asked, "Mary Lou, when was the last time you saw Kaylee?"

"I saw her two days before I was told she had been murdered."

"Was she acting different than normal?"

"No."

"Did she have a fight with anyone?"

"No."

"Mary Lou, I know this is hard for you," Joe said, "But if you want her killer brought to justice you'll have to make sure you level with me."

"I am leveling with you, Joe." Mary Lou replied. "If she had a fight with someone, then we didn't know about it."

"Who is we?"

"Me, Sheila, Pen, and Steph."

Joe frowned. There was something in the old files saying they had disregarded one of Kaylee's friends as a suspect due to hospitalization, but it hadn't identified the friend. "Stephanie was friends with Kaylee?"

"I'm sure the old files tell you that, as well as the video I'm sure you saw. There were several bits with her in it." Mary Lou said.

"Where were you the night Kaylee was killed?" Joe said veering away from that subject.

"I was with Lenny. We went to dinner and a movie." She remembered that night perfectly because he had proposed to her that evening.

"You spent all night together?"

"Yes."

"Do you happen to know anyone who would have had a reason to hurt Kaylee?"

"No, she was pretty shy. She kept to herself or to us or Micah."

"Micah was her boyfriend?"

"Yes."

"Did Micah ever exhibit signs of aggression toward Kaylee?"

"No!" Mary Lou exclaimed. "She was his world. He was devastated when he found out."

"Abusers can be good actors too." Joe told her.

Her eyes narrowed as she looked at him. _Like you?_ She thought bitterly toward all the verbal abuse he'd given to Stephanie throughout the years. "Look, Joe. You had just come back from the Navy when all this happened. You don't know the dynamic of things among the five us at that point. Trust me when I saw Micah never laid a hand on Kaylee in anger. _He _wouldn't have lived to do it again had it happened."

Joe smiled. "You're pretty defensive on that subject, Mare."

Mary Lou crossed her legs and folded her arms across her chest. "I don't take kindly to what you're implying. If you had been there the day Micah found out you'd understand why he was not considered a suspect for long. But you weren't. In fact I don't think you were even in the police academy yet. I'm pretty sure you had just been bouncing around town boozing up and fucking whatever female you came across."

"Shit, Mary Lou!" Joe looked shocked.

"You don't know anything about who we were then. I know you have a job to do and I will cooperate with you, but rest assured, none of us are going to react nicely to hearing you accuse _Micah _of something he would never do. She was heaven on earth for him."

Joe nodded, still surprised by the sudden level of aggression and protectiveness that had just come out of her. He had never seen that side of her before and he was definitely going to do what he could to say on the right side of it, especially once he and Steph were reunited.

"You said the five of you were different people. Any tempers fly between any of you that could cause a rift?"

"Oh, geeze, Joe." Mary Lou rolled her eyes. "We're women. We're rollercoasters of hormones. Of course tempers flew between us. None of us would actually hurt each other."

"Not even if one of you was jealous of something one of you had?"

"Not even then." She said firmly.

"Alright, Mary Lou, I think that's it for now. If you remember anything, please call me." Joe said standing. He could reference all the notes from the original investigation, he knew, but he was going to keep talking to the women.

His next stop was the local community center where he found Sheila cleaning up from a class. When he stepped into the room, she looked him up and down. "Detective Morelli?"

"Yes, ma'am." He smiled winningly at her. His smile always worked on women. Sheila simply raised an eyebrow looked him up and down then continued cleaning.

"I'm sure you're here about Kaylee." Sheila said. "I don't know what I can tell that will differ from the truth."

"And what's the truth?" He asked leaning back against a wall folding his arms over his chest.

"The truth is I don't know who killed her but I want that bastard found." She answered. She tried to ignore the anger that built up at the sight of him, but for the sake of Stephanie she wanted to give him a right hook and a piece of her mind. For the sake of all their sanities, she clamped down on the urge and waited for him to continue questioning her.

"That's exactly what I want to do." Joe said smoothly. "I'm just following procedure."

"What do you need to know?"

"Tell me about Micah." He decided to target that angle first.

"Micah was Kaylee's boyfriend. Completely in love with her." She said with finality.

"Did they ever fight?"

"Every couple fights, Detective. My husband and I fought last night, but as you can see, I'm alive and kicking." She said snidely. She wasn't lying. She and Jace had fought when they got home, but they had also made up with some very intense make up sex. "Micah would never have hurt Kaylee. He'd die before hurting her."

"And you don't know anyone else who would want to hurt her?"

"The only people who visibly made enemies were…" She stopped talking and pressed her lips together.

"Were who?" When Sheila glared at him, he sighed, "I can't help Kaylee if you don't tell me."

Sheila continued to stand there glaring at him when the door to the room she was using opened. Jace walked in, gave Morelli a nod as he walked to his wife. "Sheila?"

"Agent Nelson." Joe said. "I was just talking to your wife about a case I'm investigating"

"Is that right?"

"About Kaylee Henderson."

Jace turned and stared him down. "They gave _you _that case? Doesn't the fact that your ex-girlfriend cause some hindrance for you to think clearly?"

"Stephanie is my wife." Joe corrected, then got down to business. "Mrs. Nelson, I need you to tell me who were the ones likely to make enemies."

"Penelope and Stephanie were the ones most likely to gain enemies." She said finally. Jace slid her hand into his and squeezed it reassuringly.

"Stephanie always attracts crazies." Joe said without thinking. "It doesn't surprise me that she would start then."

"The only _enemies _they would have attracted would have been scorned women who didn't get the men they wanted." Sheila said with venom.

"Excuse me?"

"You heard me." She stepped forward, but Jace's grip on her hand kept her from going too much farther. "Pen and Steph were wild and liked to party hard. You saw the DVD, Detective. We don't know who was targeting Kaylee, or why we were being threatened in a ploy to get her to stop looking into whatever she was looking into."

"I understand there is another DVD." Joe said.

"It's irrelevant to your case, Detective." Jace said coldly.

"I'll be the judge of that."

"I don't have it." Sheila told him.

"The night of Kaylee's murder, where were you?"

"With Jace."

"When did you get back to your dorms?"

Sheila and Jace glanced at each other, giving small smiles of a favorite memory. "Not until the next morning. We'd gone out to Point Pleasant."

"And did what?"

"What a lot of couples do." Jace said.

"That could be a variety of things, Agent."

"My wife's and my sex life is none of your business, _Detective_."

They spent several more minutes talking. Once Joe left, Sheila turned to Jace. "I think I might have made things really bad for Steph and Pen."

"Don't worry, love," Jace hugged her close, "You know them. They'll rip him a new one if they want."

/\/\/\/\/\/\

When Morelli found himself in front of Penelope's condo, he knocked and waited for an answer. While he waited he thought of everything he'd found out from Sheila and Mary Lou. Both women were absolutely adamant that Micah had no part of Kaylee's murder. The old reports from the case gave the same indication. All questioned said Micah would never hurt her. The cops who had interrogated him all said he hadn't done it. They had been able to read him like a book. Micah had been a broken man in front of all of them. But it didn't mean he couldn't be guilty, Morelli decided.

Then there was the second DVD. What was on it and why did they refuse to give it up? It couldn't be that personal to them if they brought it up.

The door swung open and he couldn't contain the sneer that came to his lips. "Santos."

"Morelli."

"Your master let you off your leash?"

"Something I can help you with?" Lester asked refusing to rise to the bait.

"I'm here to talk to Penelope Thayer."

"Just a moment." Lester said and shut the door in Morelli's face. He grinned as he thought of the pissed off look Morelli was bound to be sporting. He walked to the bathroom where Penelope was washing up. She looked up at him in the mirror.

"Don't even think about it, Santos," She warned. "I'm all for creative sex, but even I'm still in too much pain to try one of those crazy ideas you suggested when we went to bed."

Lester laughed. "Come on, Gorgeous. It'd be fun." He waggled his eyebrows at her. When she narrowed her eyes at him with a smile on the edge of her lips he came forward and kissed her neck. "Actually, Morelli is here. Seems he got the case regarding Kaylee."

"Great." She grumbled. "Alright. Where is he?"

"Outside."

"You left him outside?"

Lester just grinned at her as he followed her back to the front of the condo. Penelope kissed him and opened the door. "Detective Morelli."

"Ms. Thayer."

"Come in, please." She opened the door. "I assume you're here about Kaylee."

"Yes I am." He glanced around the condo noting that she was extremely well off, but then, he thought, any child of Mark Thayer's would have been well off.

"What do you want to know?" Penelope asked walking to the kitchen and receiving bottles of water. She gave one to Lester who kept watching Morelli carefully. Handing the detective one, she opened the remaining bottle and waited for him to begin.

"I'm going to find out the truth, Ms. Thayer. From What I've found out this morning from a couple people, you and Stephanie were quite the wild ones when all of you were in college. So it leads me to believe something you two did pissed off someone who took it out on Kaylee."

"Really?" Penelope leaned back against the counter and nodded slowly, "This is of course completely disregarding the DVD you received as evidence that someone didn't like that she was snooping into something? You automatically find a way to blame this on Stephanie and me?"

"Ms. Thayer—"

"Detective, let me be perfectly frank with you." Penelope set her bottle down on the counter with a hard snap. "Steph and I were very wild in college. We liked boys as much as boys liked us. We were smart, careful and made things known up front that there was going to be nothing more than a one night stand. Every young college man's dream come true. Kaylee had Micah, who adored and loved her more than his own life. Kaylee didn't do anything to warrant an ugly attitude from women who were competing against Stephanie and me for men. And even if she had," She continued on when Morelli opened his mouth to continue speaking, "those women would have had to deal with us. And they didn't like dealing with us."

"You seem pretty certain that Micah wouldn't hurt her." Another one defending Micah and giving him a look at that spoke volumes about how she felt about his attitude towards Micah.

"You'd be a fool to believe Micah would hurt her, Morelli." She snapped. "I'd suggest looking at Kaylee's old stories and see if you can figure out what happened from there."

It hadn't taken long for him to realize that anything he asked Penelope would match everything in her original questioning. In fact when he continued questioning her, he found that her answers never changed. It was like she could remember every detail from that day. Not that he could be surprised by that fact. Anyone who lost someone as suddenly as they lost Kaylee could remember the exact moments of what had happened up to the news and most of the time right after the news.

This is what he found himself contemplating as he sat in the conference room in Rangeman waiting for Stephanie to show up. He had a job to do, and he would do it, but he would make it perfectly clear to Stephanie that she was to stay out of it and that she was expected back home. He was not going to let her wander around doing whatever she felt like instead of being home taking care of him and his needs.

Joe glanced at his watch again. He'd been waiting on Stephanie for an hour. He had been told that she was out and was expected back at any time. Manoso had had the audacity to have him put in a conference room that he couldn't seem to leave. It wouldn't surprise him one bit if Stephanie was in the building.

Finally, the door opened and Stephanie walked in with Ranger coming in right behind her. She sat down across from him at the table. Ranger sat next to her. One of his hands was underneath the table, no doubt on her thigh, Morelli thought angrily, shooting him a glare. It was met with a blank face.

"Morelli." Stephanie said. "What do you need?"

"I'm here about Kaylee Henderson's murder, Cupcake."

"Don't call me that." She replied.

"I can call you whatever I please." Morelli snapped.

"Morelli." Ranger growled. He was damned if he was going to sit here and let Morelli bully her the way he was trying.

"Where were you the night Kaylee was killed, _Cupcake_?"

"If I remember correctly, I was out with some guy."

"Some guy. What was his name?"

"Dunno." She shrugged.

"What do you mean you don't know?" Morelli demanded.

"I wasn't after his name, _Morelli._" Stephanie told him. "I was after hard, fast sex and that was what I got."

His blood was boiling. He had always assumed his cupcake had only slept with two men. Him and her ex-husband. The idea of some random man's hands on her pissed him off. Even if it was Manoso's hands. It pissed him off.

"You and Thayer were pretty wild," He said, "Maybe you pissed off someone's girlfriend?"

Stephanie stared at him. Her entire body tensed. Was he actually suggesting in some sick way that _she _was responsible for Kaylee's murder? That she had partied enough to piss someone off and they took it out on Kaylee? There was such a rush of fury in her blood that she automatically grasped Ranger's hand tighter than she'd already been holding it. It had been a long time since she felt such anger surging through her and she knew if she didn't rein it in fast it would get ugly. Ranger's thumb stroked the back of her hand soothingly, calming her down slowly.

"I'm sure we did piss off someone's girlfriend from time to time, Morelli, but they wouldn't have touched Kaylee. You saw the video. You know they were after Kaylee to stop whatever she was looking into."

"And what was she looking into?"

"I haven't got a clue." She replied honestly.

"I don't believe you, Cupcake."

"It's the truth. None of us knew what she was working on when she died." Stephanie said as calmly as she could. Stephanie shrugged. "She didn't want us to know. We could never convince her to tell us."

Knowing that she was telling the truth he moved along. "What happened after you found out about Kaylee's death?"

"I don't know." She answered truthfully again.

"What?" Joe looked surprised, his cop face slipping but his jealous anger fought its way forward and he couldn't resist saying, "Get fucked senseless by someone, Cupcake? Right after the death of someone who was supposedly very close to you? What a great way to show your grief."

Normally, Stephanie would have let her temper loose, or rather she would let loose the temper that Joe was used to seeing. But the full extent of her actual temper was still simmering beneath the surface and she knew she had to keep herself as calm as possible. She looked at Ranger. "Carlos, can you call Bobby and ask him to bring my medical record here please?"

Ranger flipped out his phone and made the call. While they waited Morelli looked at Stephanie, "Cupcake…"

Stephanie held a hand up. "Not a word until Bobby comes with my medical record."

Bobby came in looking at them in confusion. Stephanie held her hand out for the record, which he handed over. She flipped through the impressive file, rolling her eyes at a few of the records in there, until she came to what she was looking for. Turning it she slid it across the table to Morelli. He looked down at it.

"As you can see, Morelli, right after finding out about Kaylee's murder, I was sedated and put into the hospital." There was ice in her voice. Bobby tried not to shiver, unaware of the true force of her temper, but he knew at that moment being wary was a good thing. Ranger simply gripped her thigh tightly and squeezed reassuringly.

Joe was surprised by the facts that he was seeing. It explained one of the comments in the original investigation, that one of the friends had been sedated. He looked back up at her. "What made them sedate you?"

"I was more vocal with my temper then." She replied simply.

He couldn't contain the chuckle that came forward. "Cupcake, I've seen your temper. You ran me over with your father's Buick."

"Morelli, I'd consider that a mild irritation compared to what my actual temper can do." She informed him, folding her arms over her chest. "I ripped apart my college dorm room because one of my best friends had been murdered. Jace and Lenny broke in and they helped the paramedics sedate me." Reaching over she grabbed the file and folded it back up. Handing it back to Bobby, she said, "Thanks, Bobby."

"No problem, Bomber."

"You could have just told me that, Cupcake." Joe said.

Stephanie let out a harsh laugh. "No I couldn't, Morelli. You're so sure you know who I am, that you wouldn't believe me unless I had actual proof to show you. So I brought the proof."

"There's been mention of another DVD. I need to see it." He said.

"I don't have it." Stephanie answered. "There's nothing on there that will give you any headway into the case anyway."

"Damn it, Stephanie!" He hit the table with his fist glaring at her. "If I have to get a warrant I will!"

"Do it." She replied. "None of us have it."

Joe forced himself to calm down. He had to think like a cop. He knew he would be speaking with Helen later. Helen would help him out when it came to making Stephanie cooperate.

"Kaylee's boyfriend? Any signs of aggression from him?"

"None. Micah would never have hurt her." Stephanie said with such finality that Joe knew pursuing it would only waste time.

"Morelli, you're done here." Ranger said.

"For now." Joe sneered at him as he stood.

Bobby and Tank were waiting outside the conference room to escort him out of the building. Ranger sat back and looked at Stephanie. "Babe?"

"He tried to make me feel guilty." Her voice shook. She met his eyes and he could see the underlying temper snapping in her blue eyes. "He tried to say it was _my _fault that she died, because of how I chose to live my life then."

"Babe." He reached for her, but she jerked away.

"Don't." She whispered. "I'm so close to snapping, and I don't want to hurt you."

"Come with me, Babe." Ranger grabbed her hand.

"Where are we going?" She asked.

"To find an outlet for your anger."

* * *

**So, any thoughts on what a good outlet for her anger might be? :-)**


	22. Chapter 22

**AN: WOW! I couldn't believe all the reviews that you guys gave in regards to what should help with Steph's anger outlet. Hopefully what I chose to do will please everyone :-) This chapter is a little shorter than the others, but I kind of wanted to focus on showing how in tune with Stephanie Ranger can be. I hope I captured that, and perhaps in the next chapter we'll find out what's going on with Micah? :-) ****Please Read and Review!**

* * *

**Rediscovery**

**Chapter 22**

"Carlos, where are we going?" Stephanie asked again. He had quickly packed her into one of the SUVs and driven off with her an hour ago. At first she had said very little because she was on the verge of snapping. While the temper was still there and the urge to lash out still boiling high, he had been evasive on their destination and continued to be so far.

Ranger could tell she was still angry. Luckily he knew it was not at him and he was planning to help her out. He only hoped this idea would work. He had a feeling that taking her to the gym so she could do gymnastics would not cut it this time. Offering to kill Morelli and bury him where no one would ever find him again wasn't an option, although he was feeling pretty friendly toward the idea. He had noticed the moment her temper had gone from tolerance of her ex doing his job into an all-out fury for the suggestion Morelli had made about her fucking some no-name guy while her friend was dead.

She had an adrenaline rush going on. Everything he had learned or seen about his Babe over the last few days had shown that she was capable of a great temper. One that she had only unleashed once fully and it had resulted in her being sedated. He was not going to let her get sedated again. Instead he was going to take her someplace to help the adrenaline. A friend of his owned a place that would help he hoped.

When they finally reached their destination, he got out of the car and came around to her side to help her out. She looked at him and around. They were parked by a bridge. She could hear the water running beneath it. She shot him a quizzical look as Ranger simply took her hand and lead her to a building.

"Carlos! My man!" Stephanie saw a slender man walk toward them with a smile. "I wondered when I'd see your ass back out here again."

Ranger inclined his head. "Jim, it's good to see you."

"So what brings you out here?" Jim asked looking at Stephanie briefly. He'd heard through a friend of a friend that the infamous Ranger had found a woman he was interested in. If this was her then he definitely wanted to know more about her. She was looking at him with a look that clearly dared him to piss her off. She looked like she was itching for a fight and Jim decided right away he was _not _going to be the one to give it to her.

"Tandem jump." Ranger replied.

Jim grinned broadly. "Awesome! Let's get you outfitted." He grabbed a harness that would hold two people and motioned for them to follow him out. Stephanie was still silent, trying to figure out what they were up to. When they stopped on the bridge she looked over the side and her eyes widened at the distance between them and the river below.

"Carlos," She looked at him. "What are we doing?"

"We're jumping off the bridge." He replied.

Stephanie stared at him in shock. Her anger was still simmering dangerously and he wanted her to jump off a _bridge?_ This was one of those moments where she was not likely to just jump because he said so.

"Why?"

"You need an adrenaline release, Babe." Ranger took her hands in his and kissed her forehead. "Right now I think everything else you normally do to help center you is just going to hinder you."

"So you want me to jump off a bridge?"

"No. I want _us _to jump off a bridge." He grinned his 200-watt smile at her and led her over to Jim, who was waiting with the body harness next to the platform they would launch off of. In the river was a small boat with a couple people waiting in case they had to get Stephanie and Ranger out of the water. The rope they would be jumping off would retract back up to the bridge.

"Alright, so, you're going to jump right onto Carlos here." Jim instructed. "Wrap your legs around his waist." Stephanie did as she was told and gave Ranger a wicked grin which he countered with his wolf grin.

"Ready, Babe?"

"With you? Always." She replied.

"Alright you two. Off you go!" Jim ordered.

Ranger stepped off the platform. Stephanie shrieked as they dropped, her heart leaping into her throat. The utter freedom and weightlessness encompassed her. Feeling Ranger's arms tightly around her as they fell made her feel on top of the world. They continued to falling and then bounced up as the rope reached its limit. They swung back and forth.

The exhilaration flowing through her made her forget all about her anger. She looked at Ranger who was grinning at the joy on her face. She leaned forward and kissed him.

Jim watched over the bridge and smiled when he saw his friend and lover wrapped around each other kissing deeply. He looked at his coworker and shook his head with a laugh. They started bringing them up.

"Carlos, that was amazing!" Stephanie said shivering with excitement.

"Good, Babe." He kissed her again. "Just like jumping off the cliff, without getting wet."

"Do you think…" She bit her lip, "Do you think I could do it by myself?"

"Yeah, Babe." Ranger nodded. "I'll be on the bridge watching you."

And he did. Jim and his workers couldn't help but be amused as Stephanie leapt off the platform screaming with delight. Ranger conveniently had his phone out and took videos and pictures of her release. He knew Jim would have one also. That was one of the ways they made money for their customers.

"It's like jumping out of the planes." Jim said grinning at Ranger. Ranger chuckled as he watched Stephanie. They had been it the Rangers together and when Jim told him about his plans to set up a bungee jumping business Ranger had wholeheartedly supported him. He had even offered to set up security for him, but so far Jim had said no. Most of his men, like Ranger's, were ex-military.

On the drive back, Stephanie squirmed in her seat. The adrenaline was running high, her anger subsided but the aggression was still there. She needed to be aggressive with something—or rather _someone_. That someone was sitting next to her looking in his zone. She had felt free and she knew just what had to be done.

"Carlos." She purred. "I need you to pull over."

"Babe?" He glanced over at her.

Stephanie smirked as she reached a hand over and settled it on his thigh and slowly inched upward. "Carlos. Pull over."

"Babe!" He groaned as her hand reached its destination. The seductive chuckle that came from her lips as her fingers continued to run lightly across the growing bulge in his pants nearly undid him. As quickly as he could, he found someplace to park, shrouded by trees and shielding them from the prying eyes of drivers.

He reached for her, but she pulled back with a wicked gleam in her eye. "Not enough room here, Carlos." She continued to purr as she opened the door with a glance toward the rear of the SUV where they would have more room.

Ranger wasted no time catching up with her. He had the back of the door opened quickly and practically threw her into before climbing on top of her. The seats dropped forward, creating a good bed for them.

Stephanie maneuvered them so she was on top. She caught Ranger's lips in a greedy kiss. She could feel him completely hard and rigid beneath her. His hands gripped her hips. One hand traveled up her body and tangled in her curls.

"God, I love how you feel." She moaned as he rolled them over so he was on top. "So hard, and powerful." She thrust her hips grinding them together.

"Babe." Ranger growled dangerously. His mouth came to her neck, biting, causing her to moan deeply. Her hands tugged at his shirt, impatient that it was in her way. When he obliged and helped her remove it. She ran her nails down his chest, her eyes on his face watching his eyes flutter close as his body trembled beneath her ministrations.

They rolled again, bringing her on top, her mouth trailing down his chest, catching each of his nipples one at a time. She savored them and grinned when he growled and his hips thrust upward toward her.

It became their dance, rolling over one another for dominance as they removed each other's clothing. They couldn't seem to get close enough. There was too much clothing in the way. Sound of fabric ripping filled the SUV, mixing with the heated sounds of their panting and moaning.

"Carlos!" Stephanie shrieked as his mouth descended on her. His tongue slid into her expertly, knowing exactly what his lover needed. The aggression in which he loved her only served to turn her on more so that when she climaxed with a scream, hands clawing at the window, it was only a matter of seconds before she turned the tables on him and he found himself on his back, her mouth closing over his cock. He was so hard and delicious and she couldn't get enough of him. They could spend the rest of their lives making love to each other and she would never get enough of him.

His hands tangled in her hair as she moved up and down on his shaft, and one of her hands cupped his balls, squeezing him, driving him wild. "Babe!" He ground out. "Please, let me inside you!"

Releasing him, she smiled as she crawled up his body. "Well, since you asked so nicely…"

With a growl, he flipped them back over and was in her with a deep, hard thrust. Stephanie moaned loudly as he gasped. They barely paused to enjoy the feeling of them joined. No, right now the aggression was the fuel of their fire. Ranger was always turned on by his babe, but something about the way she moved and fought for dominance with him at the moment was more arousing than anything he had ever encountered with her.

As he thrust into her, her nails raked down his back. "Harder, Carlos!" She demanded as she panted beneath him. Her legs wrapped around his waist, anchoring him to her. He could do nothing but comply and growled deep in his throat as he moved harder and faster, Stephanie's moans driving him more and more.

"Yes, oh god, Carlos!" Stephanie screamed as she came again. A few hard thrusts later he groaned her name spilling himself deep into her.

They lay entangled in one another. Sweat was covering their bodies. Ranger could feel Stephanie's body humming with pleasure and was sure that she could feel the same coming from him. He rested his forehead on her hers and softly caressed her lips with his, his tongue dipping between her lips to stroke hers.

"Mmm." She sighed contently.

"Babe."

"Hmm?"

"Wow." He said with a lazy grin.

Stephanie laughed. "Oh, do you think I'm done with you yet?"

"You're not?" His wolf grin was firmly in place at that.

"Oh no," She shook her head and moved her hips slightly. When he hardened deep in her, her eyes lit up, "Oh most definitely not. There's a lot more aggression to work out."

"I'll be happy to help, Babe."

/\/\/\/\/\

By the time they made it back to Haywood, the sun had set and Ella had thankfully left a meal waiting for them. It was still warm. They sat at the dining room table eating lazily, sharing grins with each other that only lovers share with one another.

"Babe," Ranger looked at her, "What did you do with that DVD?"

"If I told you, I'd have to kill you." Stephanie replied with a smirk. "But rest assured, none of us have it."

"Does Micah have it?" He asked.

"Nope." She took a sip of wine and smiled. "It's unlikely you'll guess."

"I bet I could be persuasive in getting you to tell me what it is." He grinned at her.

"I have no doubt," Stephanie said, "But believe me when I say it's better for no one else to know where it's at."

"Alright. You win. For now." He conceded.

She threw him a brief victorious look. Another look came to her face. She stood up and walked over to him. Crawling into his lap she wrapped her arms around his neck. "Thank you for today."

"Anytime, Babe."

She shook her head. "I will never understand how well you can tell what I need. I was surprised when you didn't take me to the gym."

"Like I said earlier, Babe, I could see you needed an outlet. The gym, nor your gymnastics, would have done any good. The sex, definitely, and I thought about it first, but I wanted to give you something you normally didn't do." Ranger told her. "I figured letting you bungee jump off a bridge would help release some pent up emotions. With the way you were screaming at times, I would hazard to say it worked."

"It definitely worked." Stephanie agreed. "I had never done anything like it, other than the cliff diving that we all used to do out at the house. It was amazing. I almost felt like I was flying."

"I've got that covered, Babe. I'll take you flying soon." He grinned. Stephanie smiled at him and rested her head on his shoulder. They sat in silence for several minutes taking comfort in one another's warmth and love. Ranger kissed her shoulder softly. "What are you going to do about Morelli? I can talk to Juniak and see that he's taken off the case."

"No." She shook her head. "He's a good detective. He'll do his job. None of us are guilty, and I think he'd been talking to the others earlier. I imagine he's getting nowhere with any of us."

"Be that as it may," Ranger said, "He started bullying you in there."

"Ranger, Morelli doesn't know the full level of my temper." Stephanie sat up and looked at him. "I'm not even sure _I _necessarily know the full level of it. You got me out of here and took me someplace to release it before it could get out of hand. I may have only lost it once, but I don't remember it. I believe he can do his job. I'm sure all of us are going to cooperate with him as much as we can possibly cooperate."

"You could've given him the DVD." Ranger smirked, knowing full well what Morelli's reaction was likely to be if he ever did see that DVD and saw him and Steph making out in it.

"It's irrelevant to his case and it's beyond private." Stephanie whispered.

"I know, Babe." He kissed her, deeply. "Still feeling aggressive?"

"Mmm, I'm feeling so aggressive." She murmured. They left the remainder of their dinner unattended as they found their way back to the bedroom.

* * *

**Oh, and for those wondering, I viewed the jumps on Whistle's website so the tandem jump I used is from their videos :-)**


	23. Chapter 23

**AN: Thanks for the great reviews everyone :-) I felt I had to compromise and give you guys the aggressive sex...after all, it's Ranger and Steph, lol. The Bungee jumping was because I wanted something for Stephanie to do over and over for a little bit. But now we move on to see what's going on with the rest of the story. Hope everyone enjoys this chapter.**

**Please read and review. I'd love to hear what you think on Micah and everyone else in the chapter! PS. Sorry the update is so late.**

* * *

**Rediscovery**

**Chapter 23**

When news of Kaylee's death had found Micah, he'd been a broken man in every sense of the word. Jace and Lenny had been there to help him as much as he could accept help then, which was very little. Kaylee was his other half, and after nine years he could still feel that part of him missing. He still loved her, and he was still furious that she had never had the life she could have lead. They had always had a plan. He would run his father's bar (which had come true already when his father passed when he was twenty-four) and Kaylee would either be an investigative journalist or a mystery novelist. She hadn't decided on which one would be the best one for her yet.

He knew logically, that Kaylee would want him to move on, to find some happiness, but when the other half of you lay six feet under and your body couldn't stop the hurt, how did you learn to move on? He loved the girls, they were like sisters and when they had shown back up at his bar a few weeks ago it had been like nothing had changed. Except it had. Kaylee wasn't part of the group anymore. She wasn't there to give him shy looks that had drawn him to her like a moth to the flame. On some level he wanted to go on, to live, to embrace life the way he knew Kaylee wanted him to so when he did die, he'd be able to share it all with Kaylee.

But it was the level of anger he had toward the killer who had never been caught or identified that had him in the position he was in now. He wasn't ashamed of what he was doing. In fact, as far as he was concerned, he was doing it for the greater good. Some people might not see it that way, but he knew there were those who would. He was risking a lot by doing this, his father's reputation—the one he had worked tirelessly to build when he arrived in America—his own conscience, his sanity. Of course, he liked to view it that he had gone a couple knocks shy of sanity some time ago. Probably the moment the news of Kaylee's death had reached him.

The last few weeks had brought some ghosts back for him. His "sisters" had come waltzing back in, taken up their position at their old table, paid tribute to their missing member, and had proceeded to get themselves as drunk as possible. Micah was insanely glad that Lenny and Jace had known exactly where to go to get them. The other two men he had seen, Lester and Ranger, had surprised him, but when he saw them with Stephanie and Penelope he knew they were the right men for those two. They were wildcats and Micah knew that they would need men who could…well, tame them. It was the best way to describe it.

Micah knew more was coming when Stephanie came back to the bar asking questions about Kaylee's last assignment. It had been such a mystery. None of them knew anything about it, but in the dark pits of his gut he knew that assignment was responsible for her death. He had shouted it in grief stricken rages at her grave, yelling at her, demanding to know why she hadn't given someone some idea so they could have protected her, so _he _could have kept her safe. The completely irrational side of him wanted Stephanie digging, wanted her to find what none of them could find even though the logical side of him (which was constantly losing when it came to the subject of Kaylee) wanted her to stay out of it so she could avoid ending up like Kaylee.

About a week after the girls' reappearance, Jace had come to speak with him. They had talked for several house and thanks to that Micah was now sitting in the current position he was in. Not that he could complain. Much.

A few days ago, a Detective Morelli came in asking about Kaylee. It appeared that the case had been reopened. When he talked to Jace about it later, he was told there had been a DVD in a package that Kaylee's mother found addressed to the girls. A DVD that could possibly be seen as evidence. Jace had made them turn the DVD over to the police. Micah wanted to know what was on it, but Jace left the subject vague, reminding him of what they needed him to do. It would have worked too, but Morelli had been relentless in his questioning, accusing him of being jealous, of killing Kaylee in a rage, etc. It didn't matter that the original detectives on the case had taken him off the suspect list. According to Morelli he had to question everyone. And the way he talked about Stephanie at times...

Micah shook his head to clear it when he saw his third ghost walk into the doors. This ghost was a constant visitor to his bar. One he would gladly do without but these days he knew he had to bite his tongue and smile. Not to mention the others that came with the ghost could have him killed on sight.

"Micah, you should let me buy this place from you." His ghost said as he walked up to the bar. "I'll give you a good price and you'll never have to work again."

"No." Micah shook his head and proceeded to focus on wiping down the counter to get ready for the evening rush.

"You can't tell me you want to work in this place for the rest of your life."

"I'm happy here." He motioned toward the back room. "Your companions are already here. You don't want to keep them waiting."

"They won't miss me if I talk to you for a little while longer."

"Are they really people you want to test that way?"

The ghost sat there and pondered his question for several seconds. "No," He said finally, "I guess I'd better go."

Micah did his best not to sigh with relief when he was alone with his thoughts and bar.

/\/\/\/\/\

"What's our status in regards to Thayer?" The man asked those in the room.

"Penelope Thayer has been released from the hospital, which we all know, but she's being guarded by RangeMan. I told you she has some powerful connections around Trenton." He was told. He narrowed his eyes at the speaker. The person clearly didn't understand that he couldn't speak to him that way. He looked over at a couple of his men and nodded. They came and grabbed the obstinate man. The panicked look he received told him his message would be received loud and clear. He wouldn't have to worry about any more unnecessary comments later.

"Who has contacted her to make sure she throws her next case?" No one answered. "Are all of you that damn incompetent? You need to get her on our side! Our message was delivered flawlessly and all of you sit there as though you can't be bothered with making sure everything is as we need it!"

"I'm sure RangeMan probably has her phone tapped." A woman said looking bored. "Someone will have to talk to her directly, putting all of us at risk. As it is she came way too close to getting Kazarra over here convicted."

"Thayer was only hired as the Prosecutor for this particular case. Chances are she'll go back to defense." Kazarra spoke.

"Then make sure she's defending who _we _want her to defend. Not who she wants to defend."

"I think you underestimate Thayer." Another woman said. "As it was pointed out, she has resources. Stephanie Plum is a bumbling fool of a bounty hunter, but there are people who won't mess with her. If Thayer is indeed friends with her, then there's no telling what kind of information Thayer has."

"You expect me to believe you can't stop two little girls?" The head man roared angrily.

"We expect you to understand that Ranger Manoso is not some little piss ant that you can fuck with." Kazarra said boldly and glared at him. "If you want to fuck with Thayer and Plum and receive Manoso's wrath then by all means, have at it. If you want them out of the way permanently, then you're going to have to find the right incentive to get them to you without arousing suspicion."

"And you recommend we do what exactly?" He growled.

"You're always looking for new specimens for your…collections." Kazarra smiled evilly. "And what better specimens than a hard assed attorney who can't be bought and an infamous bounty hunter? Think of the money that could come in for that. Fuck, we'd all be able to retire. There are plenty of people who probably want them both dead."

"I'm sure all of us can find ways to work on Thayer and Plum to make sure they stay out of our way." One of the women said again. "Let's not do anything hasty. We'll have to bide our time."

"Very good." The man nodded. "For now we bide our time and make sure Thayer understands that _we _will be calling the shots on any case she takes. Even if it means threatening everyone she loves." When he received nods of agreement, he barked, "All of you out."

Kazarra stood last, "Don't forget to take your medicine, father. I'd hate to have to tell Mother you died fucking one of your whores."

/\/\/\/\/\/\

Ranger smiled when he saw Stephanie sitting at her computer staring at it diligently. According to the clock it was lunch time and he knew she rarely missed a meal…well, unless he managed to show her something else that was ten times more appealing than a meal. This wasn't one of those moments because up until this very moment he had been out at a disgruntled client's. It had been a rough morning, but things had definitely been smoothed over.

He walked up behind her, smiling wider when he saw her touch her neck. "Babe."

Stephanie jumped. "Shit!" She whirled around in her chair and gave him a mock glare. "If this is your way of making me more aware of my surroundings, I strongly feel you should find a different way."

"Babe," He chuckled, "It's lunch time and you're still at your computer. I thought I should make sure you're feeling alright."

"I'm fine." She gave him an eye roll. "I have my sandwich right here." Stephanie motioned toward the plate that had said food on it. The irony of it, he thought, was that there were only a couple bites taken out of it.

"Babe, you're usually farther along in your meals." Ranger said.

"Oh, um, I just got focused." She turned and showed him her notepad. It was full of notes and doodles in regards to Kaylee's death.

Ranger grabbed a chair and pulled it over to her cubie. He sat down and looked over her notes. A lot of it was dead ends from what he could see.

"No luck so far?" He asked. Absently, he reached over and rubbed her hand up and down her thigh.

"None." Stephanie shook her head. "Talking to the advisor in charge of the school paper didn't help when I went yesterday. She remembered Kaylee and the sudden tragedy of the murder, but she couldn't remember what she was working on. She did, however, ask if I, or any of the other girls would be willing to be interviewed about the tragedy nine years later so people could see how we were coping." At this Stephanie rolled her eyes.

It had been several days since Ranger took her to bungee jumping. She had had to go back to Vinnie's to work on some of her FTAs and had done so with help from whomever her partner was each particular day. Because Kaylee's case had reopened, Stephanie found herself sneaking under the radar to find information out since Morelli was involved, and with his current attitude towards her she didn't trust that he wouldn't arrest her for interference. With the way things were going between them, Stephanie would almost say he could try using this as a way to get to her, but she was pretty sure he liked his badge a little too much to do anything to jeopardize it.

There was a small sense of satisfaction believing that Morelli was probably having just as much trouble as she was in finding anything out.

"Babe." Ranger was watching her.

She blinked. "Sorry. Did you say something?"

"Yeah," He chuckled, "I have to meet with Jace in a few minutes. Want to go out to dinner tonight?"

"Like another date?" She asked with a shy grin.

Ranger couldn't resist leaning forward and kissing her. "Yeah, Babe, like another date."

"Sounds good." Stephanie felt all fluttery with love and fuzzy feelings.

"Good," He stood and paused before leaving. He gave her a puzzled look, "Babe, I know I haven't talked to you about what the Feds need—"

"Carlos," Stephanie held up a hand and stood up, "If it's really important that you need me to help with it then I know you'll talk to me about it. I know there are facets of your life you can't talk about, and if this is one of them, then I trust you. Even if it's not, I trust you." She stood on her tiptoes and brushed a light kiss across his lips.

"Get a room!" Tank boomed from down the hall.

"Mats 0500 tomorrow." Ranger barked at him. He looked back at Stephanie. "Thanks, Babe. I can't tell you what that means to me." He cupped her chin with one of his hands and kissed her. "I'll pick you up from four at seven."

"Any hints on what I should wear?" Stephanie laughed at the wolf grin he gave her. "Batman! I can't go out naked. You'd kill everyone!"

Ranger chuckled. "Something nice. Not real fancy."

"I'll be waiting." She smiled.

/\/\/\/\/\

Joe sat at his desk feeling extremely irritated. So far everything on his case had come up at a dead end. He had done some major schmoozing to convince his superior that it was not a conflict of interest because Stephanie was involved. He had told him he could keep himself objective. And he had, but he had simply left Helen Plum in charge of dealing with Stephanie. So far it hadn't worked, he thought annoyed. Frank Plum was keeping an eye on his wife. It was definitely strange behavior for a man who worked in the post office. Of course, the fact that Morelli was unaware of Frank Plum's original profession in life just made it all the more easier for Frank. But Morelli didn't know that.

The unified front he received from all four women had surprised him. He knew Stephanie and Mary Lou had grown up together, so of course he expected them to be the best of friends. What he had not counted on was a wall built on so much love and trust between these women. All of them had told him he was an idiot for even considering Micah as a suspect. He had still questioned the man, although the cop in him said that Micah couldn't have hurt Kaylee. After nine years, he still looked like a broken man.

His meeting with Stephanie had surprised him mildly. To say that it had been a mild irritation when she ran him over with her father's Buick was a little daunting. She had told him flat out that that wasn't even the full level of her temper. He didn't believe her of course. Stephanie Plum was a Burg woman and they all had tempers, but they all cooled once they were married and pregnant. She would realize that once she was back in his bed where she belonged.

Someone knocked on his door, breaking through his thoughts.

"Come in." He called, assuming it was one of his fellow cops.

It was a huge surprise to him when Penelope Thayer walked into his office. The last few days had helped with the bruising on her face he noticed. She looked better, although still looked to be mildly sore.

"Ms. Thayer. How can I help you?" He asked smiling.

"Detective Morelli, I believe I have something you want to see."

In her hands was a DVD.


	24. Chapter 24

**AN: Again, thanks for all your wonderful reviews! This chapter will hopefully answer some questions about a certain object Penelope has hold of and possibly give you some more questions. Enjoy!**

**Disclaimer: I don't own them, I just play.**

**Please Read and Review!**

* * *

**Rediscovery**

**Chapter 24**

Penelope watched Joe as he leaned over and put the DVD in the player. "Don't forget the volume." She said. "You won't want to miss everything that's said."

Leaning back in her chair she rested her chin on a couple of her fingers watching him intently. The look on his face went from smugness at having triumphed over all of them at getting the first DVD from them to one of panic, which he quickly covered with his cop face. Penelope couldn't stop the smirk that came to her face watching him. He had gone pale, and there were beads of sweat along his hairline. Oh yes, this was definitely the route she wanted to go.

Finally, Joe turned off the DVD and looked at her. "This is hardly relevant to your friend's murder."

"You're right. It's absolutely irrelevant to Kaylee's death." Penelope answered. "It is relevant, however, to your treatment of Stephanie."

"What goes on between my wife and I is none of your business." He snapped.

She raised an eyebrow. "You still want to call her your wife to my face after what I've just shown you? You're awfully cocky aren't you?"

"Stephanie is meant to be with me." Joe said emphatically.

"No, Detective Morelli, she is not." Penelope shook her head. "She is where she's meant to be."

"How did you get this?" He demanded, ignoring the second part of her comment.

Angling her head, she smiled. "I'm a daddy's girl, Detective Morelli. A well-grounded daddy's girl, but a daddy's girl nonetheless. My father had many connections and they all chose to keep in touch with me upon my father's death. All it took was a couple phone calls to find what I needed. They were more than happy to help me."

"And what are you planning to do with this?"

"That is entirely up to you, Detective." She said. "We can do this a couple of ways. You can choose to continue harassing Stephanie and making false claims of marriage, in which case this DVD will reach Carlos Manoso first thing. _Or _you can stop harassing her and focus solely on solving Kaylee's murder. Once it's finished you'll leave Stephanie alone and this DVD will stay our little secret."

"You're blackmailing an officer of the law, Ms. Thayer." Morelli gave a smug grin. "Even you should know how much trouble you can get into for that."

"I would hardly call it blackmail."

"What would you call it?"

"Incentive to stay alive." Penelope said with finality. "We both know the moment Ranger finds out how you tricked Steph into marriage you're going to be counting your minutes. Do you really think that little of yourself?"

"He wouldn't do anything to a cop."

Penelope laughed. It was a harsh laugh, one that told him she was just getting warmed up. "Morelli, I'm not the only one with connections. My connections have told me just how powerful Colonel Manoso is." She watched as his eyes widened at hearing Ranger's Army title. "I assure you, his connections make mine pale in comparison and I have a pretty impressive set as it is. If he doesn't do something to you personally, do you truly believe you'd be safe from whatever he might call in?"

"Ms. Thayer, this DVD has to stay between us." Joe said. She narrowed her eyes. He was nervous alright. She was good at reading people and if she hadn't chosen to go into law she might have considered law enforcement. Penelope could see that the idea of pissing off Ranger was one that Joe Morelli did not want to do, especially with the contents of that DVD sitting in front of him.

"I take it we're agreed on the terms?" Penelope stood up. He nodded, his eyes glued to the screen staring at a frozen image in front of him. "I have to ask, Detective, just how much alcohol did you manage to ply her with to get her to that chapel?"

"Stephanie has always been a lightweight." He replied.

"That's where you're lying, Morelli." Penelope said with a cold look. "You kept plying her until she was so disoriented your plan would work. You clearly know she's not a lightweight."

"I've already agreed to your terms, Thayer." Joe snapped at her. "What more do you want?"

"I suggest taking a good long hard look at yourself and seeing if you really like what you see." Penelope replied as she opened the door and left. Lester was sitting on a bench waiting for her. When he saw her he stood up and slipped an arm around her waist.

"So, did it work?" Lester asked.

"Yeah." She smiled. "I told you it would."

"You're sure he's not going to try anything?"

"Morelli might not like Ranger, but he's smart enough to be afraid of what Ranger will do if he finds out." Penelope said as they left the station. They got into Lester's SUV and headed back to Penelope's condo.

Lester sighed as he drove. "You know if they find out we have that DVD there's going to be hell to pay. Ranger will have me on the mats for the rest of my life."

"Then we'd better make sure they don't find out." Penelope replied. "Besides, if you're worried, think of what I have to worry about? I've seen Steph lose her temper, or at least the after affects. You think I want to be on the receiving end of that?"

"Are you sure there was no other way to stop him?"

"Truthfully?" Penelope gave a rueful grin, "Probably, but at this moment, I think what we did was the best."

"You're going to nurse me back to health when Ranger's done kicking my ass?"

"Only if you'll nurse me back to health when Steph's done with mine."

"Deal."

They laughed as they pulled up to Pen's condo, then Penelope groaned. "Fuck. What are _they _doing here?"

Lester looked at where she was staring. Diane and Derek were waiting impatiently outside her condo. Lester groaned internally. They had been lucky the last few days in that the two of them had not been anywhere near Penelope while she was healing. Lester was glad that Ranger told him to stay with Penelope as a bodyguard. He loved waking up to her in the morning. She just fit into his body when they went to sleep. A small part of him was hoping the threat would never go away so he could keep guarding her for the rest of his life. The realization that he was that attached to her hit him like a fist in the gut. Numbly he helped her out of the SUV and walked with her to her front door.

"Sweetheart!" Diane cooed. "There you are! We've been so worried about you!"

"Is that right?" Penelope asked dryly.

"Of course. After all, you were attacked. I didn't know if someone had come and finished the job and you were off laying in a ditch somewhere bleeding to death with no way to get any help! Can you just imagine what I would go through?" Diane asked dramatically.

"Probably not as much as I can imagine what I'd go through." Penelope muttered unlocking her door. With a sigh, she watched as her mother and ex-husband let themselves into her condo. Out of the corner of her eye she saw a Turbo pull up. Ranger and Stephanie got out and headed towards them. She smiled and waved.

"Just in time," She whispered to Steph, "Mommy Dearest is here." Stephanie stopped and looked like she wanted to backtrack but Lester and Ranger were blocking her path.

"You're a sadist." Stephanie hissed at Penelope as she was shoved the rest of the way into the condo with Pen and the men right behind her.

"Oh, darling, is this _all _you could do with your condo?" Diane asked as she walked around inspecting everything. Despite Diane's eye, Ranger and Lester and Stephanie looked around and saw a sophistically comfortable decorated condo. There was a welcoming to it that Penelope had managed to incorporate to it.

"Not at all," Penelope replied. "I could've done something completely gaudy with it."

"Tsk, dear." Diane walked perched herself delicately on the back of the couch. "If you want I can help you redecorate. With say, oh fifty grand, we could make something really beautiful in here."

Penelope raised an eyebrow as she walked past everyone into the kitchen. "I think not. I refuse to support your Botox and face lift habits." She grabbed a bottle of water and a bottle of prescription pills.

"What a mean thing to say!" Diane looked at Derek. "You see what I put up with?"

Derek smiled indulgently at her. "Don't worry, you'll continue to look beautiful until the day you die." He turned his attention to Penelope who was popping a couple pills. "Pen, dear, I thought you were ardently against taking medicine."

"Oh!" Diane turned to her daughter, "Are those pain meds, sweetheart? Those are wonderful to keep you in such a happy place. I've been telling you for years to invest in some good painkillers from the doctor! Imagine how much happier we'll be now that you're taking those!"

The other three in the room watched as Penelope's back tensed up and her fist tightened around her bottle of water. "I'm _not _taking pain meds for a drug high, Diane. I am taking them because I was attacked and am still healing!"

"What an awful reason to take them." Diane sniffed delicately. Stephanie and Lester shared a look of utter disbelief. Ranger folded his arms over his chest and stared at Derek who was staring at the three of them intently. When he saw the glare he was receiving from Ranger he quickly turned his attention to the mother and daughter debacle that was in play.

"Diane." Penelope's voice turned cold as she turned to face her mother and ex. "What. Do. You. Want?"

"I told you I was worried about you!"

"I'm hardly convinced of your motherly concern." Penelope folded her arms over her chest. "Considering you're just now coming to visit me when I've been out of the hospital for several days."

"I had to find a place to live, darling!" Diane cried out in anguish. "You wouldn't give me the code to your alarm system."

"Go back to New York and live there!"

"But I want to be closer to you." She pouted and tears came to her eyes. "You're all I have left."

It took all of Penelope's willpower not to reach into her checkbook and write her mother a check to get her out of her condo. She really wanted Diane to leave but knew that if she wrote her a check all it meant was that Diane would be back later on when she ran out of that money. She would not support her mother's bad habits. Her father hadn't and neither was she.

"Diane. You have Derek. I'm sure you're keeping it nice and warm. You need to leave now. I have things to discuss with Stephanie and Ranger." She said.

"We could stay and help. After all, I'm really good with money!"

"Really good at spending it." Stephanie muttered.

"No, Diane. Leave."

"Now, Pen, is that any way to talk to your mother?" Derek asked.

The glare Pen shot him made Lester glad he was not on the receiving end of it. "Derek, you are my mother's fuck buddy, not my father. In fact you're not even a tenth of what my father was. Now both of you: _get out!_"

"Penelope…" Diane whined but flinched when she saw the unyielding look on her face and let Derek lead them out of the condo.

"Gosh, I love when they come to visit." Stephanie said cheerfully. "I use them as my _How Not to Act _guide. I've done wonders with them as my examples of who not to be." Penelope laughed. Steph asked gently, "How close were you to your checkbook there?"

"Too close." Penelope admitted. "I'm just glad all of you were here."

"So am I. Actually, I came to talk to you about something." Stephanie and Penelope walked over to her couch where they sat.

Lester looked at Ranger. "So how was your date last night?"

"Very satisfying." Ranger replied with a grin. Lester chuckled and clapped his cousin on the back.

"Today is Kaylee's birthday. I've talked to Mare and Sheila and they like the idea I have." Stephanie said.

"What's that?"

"We celebrate her life." Stephanie said. "Kaylee style."

"Kaylee style?" Penelope laughed. "Last time we celebrated we went to Karaoke."

"Yep. That's what we're doing tonight." Stephanie nodded. "We've already called Kaylee's parents. Ruth said they'll both be there tonight and one of her brothers will be there too. Micah said he'd get someone else to watch the bar and join us. So, now all we need to know is if you're in."

"Hell yeah I'm in." Penelope said with a grin. "Boys you in?"

"Damn straight." Lester said. Ranger simply nodded.

"Are you going to be able to drink with your prescription?" Stephanie asked her.

Penelope continued to grin. "Yeah. I only took it because I knew Diane and Derek were going to give me a headache. It'll wear off before tonight."

/\/\/\/\/\/\

Ruth and George Henderson were greeted warmly by the four girls who loved their daughter like a sister. They greeted Micah with hugs and told him he would have to come to dinner at their house soon. He smiled and said he would enjoy that. They even got all the girls to promise to come to visit them for dinner soon as well. The Karaoke bar was in full swing, but they'd reserved a spot just for them. It came complete with drinks and food. All of them were laughing and sharing stories of Kaylee growing up and some of the antics she had been ring leader to in college.

Ranger sat back with an arm draped across Stephanie's shoulders, talking to George about his days in the Army. Lester joined in the conversation as well. Stephanie, Sheila and Pen were cheering Mary Lou on, who was on stage singing _A Whole New World _from Aladdin with Lenny. When the song ended, Mary Lou said, "Okay, Pen. It's your turn and I have the perfect song for you!"

Penelope chuckled as she got up and went to the stage. She looked at the song and stared at Mary Lou. "Are you kidding me?"

"It fits your personality style perfectly!" Mary Lou said with a grin. Penelope narrowed her eyes but picked up the microphone. It was a long ago made agreement that whoever sang first chose the next person and the song. It had always made for some interesting moments.

In Penelope's current case, Mary Lou had chosen the song _Cannibal _from Ke$ha. Stephanie started laughing when she heard the song. "Oh, Mare, that's perfect!"

"Suits the man-eater in her!" Sheila laughed.

Pen belted out the song with a strong voice, one that Lester found turned him on immensely. She looked over at him and winked. Yeah, he decided, he was probably going to get lucky tonight. The song ended and Penelope looked at Stephanie. "Oh, Plum! It's your turn!"

Stephanie grinned and kissed Ranger before bounding up to the stage. Stephanie laughed at her selection. With a voice that did justice to the hard rock women, she sang _Hit Me with Your Best Shot_ by Pat Benatar. "Damn, I didn't know she could sing like that." Lester looked impressed.

Sheila grinned. "Oh yeah. All of us can sing pretty well. I imagine she probably hasn't done it since the last time we went to Karaoke."

"What song are you going to sing?" Micah asked with a grin.

"Whatever song Stephanie makes me." She laughed. "And don't think we won't drag your ass up there at some point too, Micah."

Micah tried to look innocent, but all that did was make everyone laugh. Ruth didn't even come to his defense. "Micah, I've heard you sing. Don't think for one second you're getting out of serenading us with that wonderful voice of yours."

Jace laughed. "You have been caught, my man."

Stephanie finished her song and flipped through the selection looking for one for Sheila. When she finally found one (_She's in Love with the Boy _by Trisha Yearwood) she called her up and bounced off the stage. Before she reached the table she saw someone enter and gave a delighted shriek. Penelope looked over, and shrieked as well. Both women darted towards a good looking man who was heading their way. The man laughed when he saw them heading to him. He caught them effortlessly as they bounced up into his arms. He began walking back to the table holding each of them like they weighed nothing.

"Ruth told us one of Kaylee's brother's was coming, Henry, but we didn't know it was you." Penelope gave him and affectionate kiss on the cheek.

"How could I pass up the chance to see two of my favorite girls?" Henry grinned. He was a good looking man who was a couple years older than they were. He was built as well as any of the Merry Men so holding the two women walking to the table was very little effort on his part. "You took look good. Any chance of us doing a little trip down memory lane?" He wiggled his eyebrows suggestively.

"No." Came a voice behind him.

Henry turned with the two women still in his arms and almost dropped them when he saw Ranger. "Colonel Manoso."

"Henderson." Ranger gave him a look that clearly told him that he had better set the women down.

"You two know each other?" Penelope asked.

"Yeah, I served under him for a short time." Henry explained. He saw Lester standing near Ranger. "Santos too."

"Oh…um…" Stephanie shifted from one foot to the other. "Then in that case, um…certain events….should probably stay…in the past."

"Certain events, Babe?" Ranger raised an eyebrow.

"It's not like we can remember them." Stephanie said quickly.

"How can you not? The two of you woke up naked in bed with Henry." Sheila said as she came up to hug Henry.

"Do you know what he can do to me?" Henry demanded.

"It wasn't our fault!" Penelope said defending them.

"Right." Stephanie nodded. "It was the tequila."

"And the vodka."

"And the game of Twister." Henry said.

"You guys slept with your friend's brother?" Lester looked at them.

"She didn't mind." Mary Lou offered an explanation. "She just minded when she walked in the next morning and saw her brother in his birthday suit. Apparently she was scarred for life."

"Beautiful, you weren't kidding when you said you did everything in college, were you?" Lester asked.

"What can we say?" Stephanie held her hands up. "Board games are just so much more interesting when alcohol is involved."

They all worked their way back to the table and spent the next few hours laughing, singing, sharing stories of Kaylee, and just simply enjoying each other's company. Ranger, George, Henry, Jace and Lester shared stories from their days in the Army. The girls all practically swooned when Micah was finally coerced onto the stage and sung a heartbreaking ballad. Penelope managed to convince Lester into going on stage a couple times, but Ranger just gave Stephanie a blank look when she tried to get him to go up. Her final response to his lack of cooperation was to stick her tongue out at him.

"Steph, mom said you're looking into Kaylee's murder." Henry said after a while.

"I'm trying. I'm not having much luck." Stephanie admitted. "She left us a couple things, but so far I'm running into dead ends. The most that's happened is a DVD that she left us which reopened the case. Jace made us give it to the cops." She shot Jace an ugly look.

"Glare all you want, Steph, but it had to go." Jace said not making an apology.

"She left you things huh?" Henry rubbed his chin. "Wish I could help you, but Kaylee was always interested in the Nancy Drew thing. I was too busy playing sports and chasing girls."

Penelope and Stephanie locked eyes with each other. Nancy Drew. It was a minor comment they remembered her making once or twice but even they had read Nancy Drew growing up. Steph shook her head. At the moment, there was too much alcohol in her system for her to think completely clear.

"Guys, they said we have time for one more song." Mary Lou came back up to them.

"Alright, one more song!" Steph exclaimed standing. "All four of this time!" The four women went up to the stage and flipped through the selection. They finally found one and smiled at one another. Steph grinned at their audience who was watching amused. "This is for Kaylee."

_Sometimes in our lives we all have pain_

_We all have sorrow_

_But if we are wise_

_We know that there's always tomorrow_

_Lean on me, when you're not strong_

_And I'll be your friend_

_I'll help you carry on _

_For it won't be long_

'_Til I'm gonna need_

_Somebody to lean on_

_Please swallow your pride_

_If I have things_

_You need to borrow_

_For no one can fill_

_Those of your needs_

_That you won't let show_

_You just call on me brother_

_When you need a hand_

_We all need somebody to lean on_

_I just might have a problem_

_That you'll understand_

_We all need somebody to lean on_

_Lean on me, when you're not strong_

_And I'll be your friend_

_I'll help you carry on_

_For it won't be long_

_Till I'm gonna need_

_Somebody to lean on_

_You just call on me brother_

_When you need a hand_

_We all need somebody to lean on_

_I just might have a problem _

_That you'll understand_

_We all need somebody to lean on_

_If there is a load_

_You have to bear_

_That you can't carry_

_I'm right up the road_

_I'll share your load_

_If you just call me_

_Call me_

_If you need a friend_

_(Call me)_

_Call Me_

_(Call me)_

_If you need a friend_

_(Call me)_

_If you need a friend_

_(Call me)_

_Call me_

_(Call me)_

_Call me_

_(Call me)_

_Call me_

_(Call me)_

_Call me_

_(Call me)_

_If you need a friend_

_(Call me)_

_Call me_

_(Call me)_

_Call me_

_(Call me)_

_Call me_

_(Call me)_

_Call me_

_(Call me)_

_-Lean On Me –_Bill Withers

By the end of the song the girls all had tears in their eyes. Their men went to them and held them close. Ruth and George came up to the group. Ruth gave them all a watery smile. "Girls, I can't thank you enough for inviting us out to do this."

"It warms our hearts to see how much Kaylee is loved and missed." George said, blinking tears away.

Stephanie smiled at them. "We'll do it again next year."

"I'd like that." Ruth grinned and leaned into her husband. "We're going to head home. We're not quite the night owls we were in our own youth."

They said their farewells and told their son to behave before leaving. Ranger noticed Stephanie whispering in Henry's ear. He watched them carefully. She leaned back and looked at Henry who nodded and said something in return. She grinned at him and they exchanged a fist bump. She spotted Ranger watching them from afar and her face lit up at the sight of him. She hugged Henry and hurried back to Ranger.

"Carlos," She kissed him, "Care to go home and play?"

"Babe." He wrapped an arm around her waist. "I don't own Twister."

"Aw. Sad." She giggled, "But I'm sure we can come up with something. I'm very flexible you know."

Ranger couldn't stop the laugh or the arousal that hit him.

* * *

**I don't typically do songs in my stories, but given the closeness of the girls, I felt Lean on Me was a good song and fit their love for Kaylee. :-)**


	25. Chapter 25

**AN: Hey, everyone! Sorry it's been awhile. I hit a lag. I know where the story is supposed to go, but sometimes those in between the major parts cause me to get stuck :-/ It sucks, but I think I got it here. :-) Thank you all who have reviewed! They mean a lot to me! For your reading pleasure...Chapter 25! :-D**

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**Rediscovery**

**Chapter 25**

"Damn, white girl, bout time you showed your face here!" Lula glared at her friend as Stephanie walked into the bonds office "And you best have donuts!"

Stephanie laughed. "I wouldn't dream of showing up without donuts, Lula." She held up the box of sugary sweetness.

"Good." Lula snatched the box out of her hands. "While we eat you can tell us where you been hiding."

"Rumor in the Burg is that you're getting wildly out of control." Connie said with a smile as she used her nail file to touch up her nails. Ten years ago she could remember hearing rumors of Stephanie out at clubs or bars doing something crazy and wild. By the time she saw her again there had been something subdued about her demeanor.

"Oh, you know me, Connie," Stephanie laughed as she sat next to Lula on the couch, "I'm just a regular wild child."

The three of them sat together laughing and talking about the last few weeks catching up on each other's lives. Stephanie felt bad for not seeing as much of them as she used to, but trying to find Kaylee's murder, and reclaim a past part of herself had eaten up a lot of her time. Lula regaled them with stories of her and Tank's nighttime trysts. Stephanie inwardly winced. She loved Tank and Lula, but Tank was like a brother. There were certain things you didn't want to know about your brother and some of the details Lula was sharing was some of those things. She suddenly felt for Kaylee when she thought of the morning Kaylee found Henry naked sleeping with her and Penelope. _Sorry, Kay, _she prayed silently, _hope that didn't scar you too much._

Connie had been dating someone but that had quickly fallen apart when he found out about her "Family" ties. She was frustrated by the lack of interest because men were intimidated by her connections. It wasn't like she used them much…

Stephanie noticed the lack of noise coming from Vinnie's office. Before she could ask about it the front door slammed open and Vinnie came sauntering in. He took in the women and glared at Stephanie.

"Finally showed up for work huh?" He sneered. "It's about time. Do you have any idea how much money we've been losing? If you can't do your job then we're all going to end up on the streets."

"Oh please," Connie rolled her eyes at him, "You know that's not true. The only person you're losing any money to is Joyce Barnhardt. You know RangeMan has been picking up Steph's skips for her."

Stephanie's eyebrows rose. _She _didn't know that. The initial instinct to go yell at Ranger for doing that faded quickly as she thought of everything she had been going through over the last weeks. Truthfully, she could admit that she was grateful. Her focus on Kaylee's murder and allowing herself to _be _herself and stand up for her and her own had been a bit time consuming. Although, she thought, if RangeMan was picking up her skips Ranger had better be making sure whoever was catching them was getting the money. She knew she was getting paid through the company, so it wasn't right for her to take the money someone else rightfully earned.

With a mental note to check with Ranger when she got back to the office she smiled smugly at Vinnie. "What's the matter, coz? Joyce not making any barn animal noises for you anymore?

"Real funny coming from a woman who slept around like men were going out of style." Vinnie shot back.

"At least I stuck with the human species." She retorted. "What's your excuse?"

Vinnie puffed himself up like he wanted to say something but when the bond's office door opened again and Lester walked in with Penelope the most he could do was settle for an ugly glare towards Stephanie. He stomped into his office and slammed the door so hard the walls shook.

"Huh." Lula said with a grin. "Who would've thought he'd have the strength to slam the door? I thought for sure his arm would be too sore from all the self-love he gives himself."

Stephanie laughed.

"What's his problem?" Lester nodded towards Vinnie's office as he snatched a donut from the box before Lula could finish them off.

"He's just mad that Stephanie only slept with humans while he sleeps with animals and humans and humans who think their animals." Connie replied.

"No, we never got around to animals." Penelope said. "Too many men on campus to go after."

"Were you part of white girl's wild wild youth?" Lula asked, her face clearly showing the curiosity.

Penelope laughed. "Yes. I'm Penelope. You must be Lula." She held her hand out. After Lula took it, she walked over to Connie. "And Connie?"

Connie nodded and accepted her hand. "Nice to meet you. You're Penelope Thayer, right?"

"Yes."

"I've heard of some of your exploits in the court room." She said. "You're a great lawyer. What made you want to come to Trenton?"

"I needed a change of pace." She said easily. No point in telling anyone she had been hired for the Kazarra case now that it had been dismissed she thought idly.

"So tell us all about Steph's wild days. Is it true she danced on a bar half naked?" Lula asked.

"Lula!" Stephanie exclaimed.

"What?"

Penelope chuckled. "She was a little more than half naked and yes, it's true."

/\/\/\/\/\

"Henry! Good to see you man," Bobby clapped him on the back. "What brings you to Trenton?"

"Colonel Manoso called me." Henry replied. He had woken up this morning with a message to meet Ranger at RangeMan in the early afternoon. Part of him was dreading the idea of meeting with him, especially after certain revelations were made about Stephanie's past sex life which involved him. He knew full well what Ranger could do and really, really did _not _want to be on the receiving end of it.

"He's just Ranger now." Bobby told him with a chuckle. "He rarely goes by Colonel anymore."

"Henderson." Ranger nodded to him as Bobby showed him into Ranger's office. "Sit down."

"Sir."

Ranger almost raised an eyebrow at him as Henry sat. If he didn't know any better he would say that he was nervous. Which, he probably was once his little adventure with Stephanie was out in the open. He was probably afraid Ranger was going to kill him. The thought of making him sweat it out was kind of appealing. Ranger almost grinned.

"I'll get right to the point; I've heard you chose not to reenlist."

"No, sir."

"I want to offer you a job here at RangeMan." Ranger sat back and watched the surprise flicker across Henry's face. "You were one of my best tech guys and I could use you here as well if you're interested." He opened a folder and slid it across the desk to so Henry could look at it. "This is what you'll start out at. You'd have a ninety day probationary period then your pay would increase should you get through the probationary period."

Henry's eyes widened at the sight of the figures. It would take him several years to match that in the Army. He hadn't quite figured out what he wanted to do when he decided not to reenlist, he just knew it had been time to get out, but Ranger offering him a job was a great offer. He had been glad to have a leader like Ranger when he served under him and he knew as a boss Ranger would probably be just as great.

He nodded. "Yes, sir, I'd like the job very much."

"Good. Tank will have your new hire papers ready in his office." Ranger told him.

"Tank works here too?" Henry couldn't keep the surprise off his face.

"Yes." Ranger nodded. The door opened and Tank walked in.

"Henderson, you take the job or are we going to have to browbeat you into it?" Tank demanded.

"I took it."

"Good. I'd hate to kick your ass for saying no." Tank replied.

Henry raised an eyebrow. "I take it you plan on kicking my ass for other reasons?"

"I'm sure I'll think of something." Tank grinned at him. "Like that time you set fire to the enemy camp because you got a little mixed up with some wires and all you could say was 'oops.' Did I kick your ass for that?"

Henry looked at Ranger. "Think he'd believe me if I say yes?"

Ranger barked out a laugh. "You can try, but you know he'll probably drag your ass to the gym just to for trying."

"Shit."

Tank's laugh boomed throughout the office. "Come one, Henderson. Let's get you set up."

"Henderson." He looked back at Ranger. "Whatever happened in the past with _my _woman never happened."

"What past, sir?" Henry asked.

"Smart man." Tank nodded and led him away from Ranger's office.

/\/\/\/\/\

"I'm so glad to hear from you," Helen smiled into the phone, avoiding naming the person on the line.

"I'm sorry it's taken so long for me to call you, Mrs. Plum." Joe replied. "I've been rather tangled up here at work. Lot of criminals roaming the streets."

"Yes, you do work very hard, dear." She said. "It's a pity Frank banned you from the house or I'd tell you to come to dinner tonight so you can have a nice home cooked meal and enjoy some time with Stephanie."

"A home cooked meal would be wonderful, Mrs. Plum." He chuckled. "You're one of the best cooks in Jersey."

"Such a charmer." Helen sighed. "I can't figure out why Stephanie just doesn't realize what a wonderful catch you are. I never did like her hanging out with that Penelope. She was always such a terrible influence on her."

"How do you mean?" Joe asked.

"Oh, it's all ancient history. Don't worry your head about it." Helen told him. "Now, I was thinking perhaps I could invite Stephanie out to lunch, somewhere out of the Burg and—"

"Actually, Mrs. Plum, that's the main reason I'm calling. Unfortunately, I'm going to be tied up on a rather intense case for the next several weeks so my time isn't going to be my own." Joe lied easily. The copy of the DVD Penelope brought with her sat on his desk mocking him. He glared at it wishing it was an answer rather than damnation.

"It's not dangerous is it?" She asked concerned.

"You know the law, it's never completely safe."

"Well, I'm sure you'll be just fine at the end of it. I'll work on Stephanie for you." Helen smiled. "By the time you're done with your case I'll have her fit to come home to you to be your proper wife instead of shacking up with that thug."

Joe felt a sliver of mischief creeping through him. That would work. All Thayer had said was that _he _had to leave Stephanie alone. She hadn't said anything about her mother. "That would be wonderful, Mrs. Plum."

"Rest assured, when you're done, I'll have her at your house cooking you a home cooked meal."

"Thank you, Mrs. Plum."

"Now, you go and work on keeping the streets of Trenton safe and sound." She hung up with him and turned to find Frank leaning in the doorway of the kitchen watching her with a cold expression. "Frank! What are you doing home?"

"It's lunch time. I figured I'd come home to get a sandwich. Funny thing is I come home and find my wife plotting to get _our _daughter back together with Detective Morelli." His arms were folded over his chest. In his youth, Frank had been a masculine man. He had kept himself in shape and there had been a time when he'd eaten healthy. Looking at him you could tell there was a time when he was fit. He was by no means fat, but he had didn't have the old build he used to carry like he had in the Rangers. He did still have a cold look about him when someone did something that pissed him off the way his wife was right now.

"Frank, I'm sure all the rumors you've heard about Joseph are wrong." Helen said with a smile. "Now, what kind of sandwich would you like?"

"Damn it, Helen!" His voice rose and stopped her cold. "I _told _you that you couldn't help him and yet I come home to find you doing just that! What the fuck is the matter with you?"

"Don't take that tone of voice with me Frank Plum! I am _not _one of your men!" Helen snapped at him. "I am your _wife_. I am in charge of the house. You were in charge of bringing home money so we could make sure our girls were fed. I am the one who was in charge of raising them and making sure they were set for life. Valerie was a good girl. She did exactly as she was told. Stephanie could never stop screwing up! If I wasn't getting calls from her teachers I was getting calls from other mothers! How do you think that makes me look?"

"You're worried about _your _image?" He looked at her incredulously. "Never mind the fact that _our _daughter was suffering because what you were trying to do to her was not who she was or is."

"Of course it is, Frank." Helen huffed as she got the sandwich makings ready. "You'll see. She belongs at home taking care of Joseph and looking after children. She just has to get rid of that thug."

"Isn't it interesting, Helen?" Frank gave her a cold smile. "Carlos Manoso was in the Army Rangers and served his country well. You call him a thug. I served my country well as an Army Ranger. Tell me, _wife_," He spat the endearment out, "how do you feel about marrying a thug?"

Helen looked aghast. "Frank, you're nothing like him. You're a good man."

"So is he."

"Not according to—"

"To who?" Frank demanded. "To Morelli? The Burg? You'd rather listen to a bunch of gossiping hens and a cop who's got an over inflated sense of ego rather than find out your facts? Ranger is a good man and does a better job of keeping the streets clean than your precious _Detective Morelli_ does. I've done the same things that he has done, Helen. It must gall you to know you married a thug." He turned and started to leave. Pausing he said, "Forget the sandwich. Cook what you want for dinner. I won't be here."

"What? Frank, you don't mean that." Helen said. "Frank!" He kept walking out of the house, ignoring her when she shouted again. "Frank!"

/\/\/\/\/\

The client meeting was taking forever, Ranger thought, repressing the urge to growl. Tank and Ram had already explained everything to the man and his wife, but his wife kept asking asinine questions. Ranger knew she was doing it on purpose in an attempt to goad him into some kind of sexual innuendo that would later cause one of them to find a way into one of their beds. Her husband was old enough to be her grandfather. Ranger fought back the urge to curl his lips in disdain. It wasn't that the woman was ugly, far from it, but for the life of him, he couldn't figure out why the man would choose someone so young. Although, his powers of deduction said it was more likely that _she _had chosen _him. _

"Sweetheart, we've taken up enough of their time," The man said finally. "I think it's time to go."

"Of course, dear." She said and stood when the rest of the men stood. "It was such a pleasure meeting all of you." Her eyes looked at Ranger and said that she couldn't give a rat's ass about anyone else in the room. "Thank you so much for explaining things to me, Mr. Manoso. I feel like I've learned a lot."

"Ma'am." He inclined his head and waited until they left the room before collapsing back into a chair. "Fuck."

Tank leaned back against the wall laughing. "What's the matter, boss? Can't handle being ogled anymore?"

Ranger scowled at him. "She wasn't ogling. She was salivating like a starved wolf eyeing meat."

"So you're reduced to nothing more than a meat specimen." Tank nodded. "Guess Bombshell will have to make you feel better later."

Before he could reply his phone rang. "Yo."

"Carlos?" Stephanie's voice came over the line. She sounded hysterical.

"Babe? What is it?"

"Oh, God. Carlos, you have to get to St. Francis." She said. "God…it's bad, Carlos. Real bad."

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**Please review!**


	26. Chapter 26

**AN: I have updated a little faster this time! I think the last chapter was just what I needed to get myself jump started again (I swear it had nothing to do with JerseySue threatening me with Vinnie and a duck :P) Thanks for your wonderful reviews! I love them all and I hope you guys like this chapter too! **

**So, enjoy! And review when you're done! I love hearing your thoughts!**

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**Rediscovery**

**Chapter 26**

Stephanie knew the moment Ranger stepped out of the elevator into the waiting room of the Emergency Room. She didn't hesitate to launch herself into his arms and seek the safety and comfort only he could give her. The strength of his body helped calm the incessant tremors that had been her constant companion from the moment everything went down.

"Babe." Ranger clutched her to him. The pure panic in her voice over the phone had shaved years off his life. Seeing her physically fine released the fear that had held him in a lover's embrace all the way over.

"God, Carlos, it happened so fast." She said into his neck, her arms tightening around him more. Tears slipped down her cheeks as she clung to him. "I didn't see much. I was in Vinnie's office arguing with him. There was a loud explosion and gun shots. I heard Lula and Connie scream and tried to get out there to see what was going on, but Vinnie wouldn't let me out of the office until he'd called the cops. By the time it was safe for us to go out, the ambulances were there. All four of them got shot, Carlos. The only one I know about is Penelope. The doctors say it's real bad. She took four shots. Oh, god, Tank!" She pulled away from him. "He has to know!"

Ranger pulled her back to him. "Babe, he's here, we'll tell him." Behind him he heard the elevator door opened and knew Tank and Bobby were there. He always made sure Bobby was with them whenever any of them were hospitalized for injuries.

Stephanie peaked over Ranger's shoulder and she couldn't muffle the sob that tore out of her throat for not having anything to tell Tank about Lula. Tank's eyes met her and she could see the sudden fear and worry come into them.

"Brown, find out what the status is on Connie and Lula." Ranger ordered. Bobby nodded and turned to go find out what he needed. Tank followed him determined to find out what he could about Lula.

He led Stephanie to a chair. "Babe, I need to go find out about Lester." He tucked a curl behind her ear. "Will you be alright for a few minutes?"

Stephanie nodded. "Yes." He kissed her quickly and went to the Nurses' station to find out about his cousin. He gave a curt nod towards Vinnie when he spotted him waiting, leaning against a wall looking a little shell shocked.

Ranger didn't care for Vinnie personally, but he knew Vinnie was actually a very shrewd man, despite his animal preference. He felt a certain level of gratitude towards him for keeping Stephanie in his office and safe. Taking stock of Vinnie's appearance he could see that the man was looking a bit shaken up from the events of the day. No doubt having his place of business shot up with half his employees ending up in the emergency room was probably not on his list of things to do for the day.

Coming up to the Nurses' station he leaned against the counter and waited until one of the nurses looked at him. Her mouth dropped open and she just stared at him for several seconds. Giving her his blinding smile he said, "I need the status of Lester Santos. I'm his next of kin."

"Yes—of course—um—" She looked flustered for several moments as she tried to figure out what she was looking for. Dropping her gaze from his, her body seemed to start functioning properly. Grabbing a stack of papers she rifled through them until she found what she wanted. "Mr. Santos took a bullet in the shoulder. It went straight through, and he'll make a full recovery. He just had to be sewn up a bit. I'm sure the doctor started reading him the riot act on what he can and cannot do for the next few weeks."

"Where's he at?"

"I'll take you to him." Steadily avoiding his gaze, she took him back to his cousin.

Lester was sitting on a bed looking dazed and medicated. The doctor in front of him was still lecturing him. Ranger smirked. The doctor was one they were all familiar with since he worked on plenty of RangeMan employees. There was no doubt in Ranger's mind that Lester would probably not be moving away from Penelope's side for the next few weeks, which meant he would have to make sure there were others there to keep an eye on both of them.

"Santos."

He looked over at Ranger. "Pen?"

Ranger shook his head slightly. "In surgery. Steph says it's bad. She took four bullets."

Lester bowed his head down. Closing his eyes he tried to get a grip on the emotions rolling through him. His hands gripped the edge of the bed so hard his knuckles were turning white. He swallowed a couple times before nodding. "Anything on who did this?"

"Cal and Ram are at the bonds office looking for clues. They're checking the security cameras right now." Ranger said. "What can you tell me?"

"Fuck man." Lester shook his head. "Not a lot. It happened too fast. I didn't see it coming. One second I'm stealing a donut from Connie the next there are bullets shattering the window. I didn't…I couldn't…she was too far away…" Lester swallowed and Ranger felt sympathy for his cousin. Admitting that he couldn't get close to the woman he clearly had some intense feelings for to keep her safe was eating at him. It was a feeling he was familiar with any time it came to Stephanie and her well- being.

He put a hand on his cousin's good shoulder. Before he could speak, Lester continued. "I tried, but I took one to the shoulder. I staggered, hit my head and was out." Ranger noticed the angry looking bump on his forehead.

Tank came around the corner. He looked relieved. "Lula's going to be fine. She was grazed, but it needed stitches. Connie is a bit bruised up from the falling out of her chair to get under cover. Apparently she knocked over her chair and when she was trying to duck down tripped and landed on one of the legs hard enough to break one of her ribs." He glanced over Lester and asked Ranger, "What do you think Boss? Bombshell got another stalker that took a wider range at who they were going to hurt to get to her this time?"

"No." Lester spoke up. "It's Pen. I'm sure of it."

"I don't know, man." Tank looked doubtful. "Steph's working on her friend's murder. There's a good chance someone doesn't want her looking into it."

"I'm telling you, it's got to do with Penelope." Lester snapped.

Tank raised both eyebrows and looked at Ranger, who just shrugged. His cousin was drugged and feeling like shit for not protecting his woman. Ranger knew exactly what to expect and knew it would do no good trying to reason with him right now.

Tank had seen Lester like this a few times in the army. It wasn't often that Lester would get extremely adamant about something, but when he did Ranger and the others, including himself, knew to take notice of it.

"Well, if you're done being a girl, let's go see how your woman is doing." Tank said.

Lester nodded and followed them to the waiting room. They found Stephanie missing. Mary Lou and Sheila came out of the elevator and hurried toward them looking for a sign of prognosis for their friend. They could only tell them what Stephanie had said.

Ranger grew concerned by the lack of presence from his woman. He looked at Vinnie who simply pointed down a hall. Heading in that direction he came to another hall. He could feel Stephanie near. Looking around he found her leaning up against a wall with her arms folded over her chest. There was a look of intense focus on her face as he approached her. She knew he was there. When she held a finger up to her lips as he came to her, he stood against a wall to follow her lead.

Stephanie listened closely. Diane and Derek had come barreling into the waiting room looking absolutely distraught. Well, as distraught as a woman who had so much self love can be for someone else. When she saw Stephanie she came up to her demanding to know what she had done to her daughter. Surprisingly, Vinnie had come to her rescue telling Diane that it had been a shooter from the outside. Stephanie had had nothing to do with it.

Diane, of course, did not believe Stephanie and accused her of trying to get all her friends killed. Her last words continued to echo in Stephanie's head. _"In fact, it's probably your fault that poor little Kaylee was murdered. Perhaps you should have kept your legs closed instead of laying on your back for every man in sight. Some angry girlfriend probably killed Kaylee because of you!"_

Logically Stephanie knew what Diane had said wasn't true. But before she had a chance to defend herself and rip Diane a new one, Derek had swooped in and taken Diane several feet away. He whispered in her ear and when they had glanced over at Stephanie they decided to go to a different hallway, which of course invited the current eavesdroppers who were sitting there quietly.

"I heard someone mention that Penelope took four bullets, Derek!" Diane's voice carried.

"I know, Diane, but we don't know how bad things are. They might not have hit anything vital."

"Ugh!" The contempt in Diane's voice was clear. "How could she do this to me? Doesn't Penelope ever think of anyone but herself? God, what am I going to do?"

"Don't worry, Diane. We'll get everything cleared up between the two of you." Derek soothed.

"And if she dies, Derek? Then what am I going to do? I'll be left with nothing!"

Derek's tone of voice changed to one of smugness. "Now, now. I'm very good friends with Pen's lawyer. Believe me when I say I'm working on it right now."

"Does she know that?"

"Of course not."

"Derek… you're so clever." Diane said with adoration.

Ranger could feel Stephanie tense beside him.

"We have to get Stephanie to agree to do what we want if the doctor needs her to make medical decisions for Penelope." Diane sniffled. "Stupid little twit thinks she can make decisions like that for _my _daughter."

"I'm sure we'll find a way to get her to see reason."

There was a loud dramatic sigh. "I can't even see what Carlos Manoso sees in her. There's absolutely no class in her whatsoever! It's not like she would even know what to do with the kind of money he has."

When Stephanie felt Ranger tense she motioned for them to go back to the waiting room. Wordlessly he followed her despite the fact that he was seething inside. Stephanie could feel his anger radiating off him. She knew he hated when people insulted her, but they were already in the hospital and she figured it would be a little harder for them to hide a body here. Maybe.

"Steph!" Sheila and Mary Lou looked at her as they walked back into the waiting room. She could see the fear in their eyes. She was struggling to hold down the fear that had knotted itself in her stomach. Seeing Ranger here with her had given her support she desperately needed, but she wanted to break down badly. Hearing everything Diane had said had given her a focus. It was an angry focus, but it was one she was going to use gladly.

"I don't know anything yet." Stephanie said quietly. "I just had to step away and collect my thoughts."

Ranger slid his arms around her and pulled her close to him, knowing she needed his comfort. Hell, he thought, he needed to reassure himself. Despite having seen her to tell himself she wasn't hurt, the drive from RangeMan to St. Francis had been a scary one. The fear that she could be the one hurt had made him feel like his heart was frozen. The physical contact was for both of them at the moment.

Stephanie's phone began going off on her hip. She sighed as she looked at the number. Her mother. "Hello."

"Stephanie Michelle Plum!" Helen's voice screeched loudly enough for all of them to hear. Most of them winced, glad they weren't the ones on the receiving end of the phone call.

"Yes?" Ranger's fingers had begun drawing soothing circles around her stomach. It was helping her keep calm and centered, which was good considering she was on the brink of ripping someone a new one and her mother might make a suitable victim.

"How _could _you do this to me? How many people do you know get buildings shot up? Hm? The phone has barely stopped ringing!" Helen ranted. "I'm waiting to hear from your father to know when he'll be home, but am I going to get that phone call with what you've pulled this time?"

"And what have I pulled this time?" Stephanie asked with an eerie calmness about her.

"You got the Bonds office shot up! Do you know what that's going to cost your cousin to repair? How could you have so little value to your life, or your friends lives for that matter, that you would actually endanger everyone around you?" Helen was getting on a role.

Sheila actually stood up from her seat when she heard Helen's rant. Mary Lou had to pull her back down and shake her head at her. This was Stephanie's fight. No one was going to be able to do it for her no matter how much they might want to.

"The bond's office shooting was _not _my fault, Mother." The cold, iciness of Stephanie's voice caused everyone around her, including Ranger, to shiver with a slight bit of fear. This was a side of her that most weren't used to seeing. Sheila and Mary Lou had seen it and knew things were going to get uglier if she didn't get off the phone with her mother soon. "We don't know who it was or why, but since you're _so _concerned for my well-being, I'll let you know now that I'm just fine, thanks. We're waiting to hear about those who were injured."

"Stephanie," Her mother's voice became condescending, "You know you would be much safer if you just got a different job altogether and settled down with Joseph. He's a cop. A detective. He'll make sure you're safe."

"Really?" Stephanie asked.

Sheila and Mary Lou looked at each other. Despite the severity of the situation with Penelope, they couldn't help but grin at the tone of Steph's voice. Oh, it was about to get so much more interesting.

"Of course. I am your mother, I know these things."

"So," She started off slowly, "What you're saying is that I'll be nice and safe married to a man who is a detective and puts people away for a living. This is disregarding the fact that he could put someone away who has contacts outside of the prison who could come after his family and gun them down, killing all of them just to get back at _Detective Morelli. _You're right. I can see how that would be _so much safer_ than the occasional roll in the garbage I take."

"Don't you dare take that tone of voice with me young lady!" Her voice became clipped. "You're more likely to get killed because of that thug than by Joseph!"

"No, mother, I'm not." Stephanie's entire body went rigid, despite Ranger's continuous circular movement across her tummy with his fingers. "And you know why? Ranger and his men have trained me to be able to take care of myself, to defend myself if something happens to me. Morelli has _never _offered to help me train, not in self-defense and not with my gun. Oh, and let's not forget the tiny little tidbit where I don't love him."

"Joseph would have been more than happy to—"

"Oh, shove it, Mom. Why don't you tell me what bug is really crawling up your ass right now?"

"Your father isn't coming home for dinner and it's all your fault!"

"My fault?"

"Yes," Helen hissed over the phone. "Thanks to that _man _you're sleeping with, your father has decided not to come home tonight for dinner."

"I fail to see how Carlos has anything to do with any marital problems you and Dad might be having."

"Of course you don't. You don't see anything past yourself." Helen snapped at her.

"Goodbye, Mother." Stephanie hung up.

"Shit. Steph, you okay?" Sheila asked.

"I will be later." She answered.

Ranger lead her over to a chair and sat down. He pulled her into his lap and held her close to him. "Babe." He whispered softly in her ear.

She turned and smiled at him. "I love you, Carlos. Thank you for being here with me right now."

"Babe, I wouldn't be anywhere else."

Stephanie kissed him and rested her head on his shoulder allowing herself to finally soak up the heat from his body. The tremors from earlier started to return when she was on the phone with her mother but Ranger's strong hold on her soothed her.

And then her phone rang again.

Glaring at the number briefly she snapped, "What?"

"Baby granddaughter?"

"Oh, Grandma, I'm sorry." Stephanie said. "I thought you were Mom."

"I heard the whole conversation and wanted to tell you how proud I am of you." Edna said.

"Thanks, Grandma."

"I should also tell you, your mother was on the phone with Joe Morelli earlier. She's planning to make it so you'll be the perfect wife for him when he is finished with whatever assignment he's working on." Edna continued. "Course from the way you just ripped Helen a new one, I'd say that's not gonna happen."

"Not likely." Stephanie said dryly.

"Your father caught her. He yelled at her. I'm telling you, Baby granddaughter, forty years younger—"

"Grandma!" Stephanie let out a strangled noise.

Edna chuckled. "Anyway, your daddy goes on telling Helen she must love the fact that she married a thug considering he's done a lot of the same things your man with the package has done. Then he tells her he's not coming home tonight. Aint it a pip?"

"Grandma, are you saying Dad left Mom?" Stephanie asked slowly.

"Certainly seems like it."

"And Mom sees it as my fault… wonderful." She looked up as a doctor was coming into the waiting room. "Grandma, I have to go."

"Okay, Baby girl. Remember, I'm proud of you."

"Thanks Grandma."

Stephanie hung up as the doctor came up to her. "Ms. Plum?"

"Yes? How's Pen?"

"That's what I need to speak with you about."

She nodded and began following him. Diane stood up from the other side of the waiting room. "Wait just a damn minute! I am her mother! I have a right to know what is going on with my daughter!"

"Ms. Thayer's file lists Stephanie Plum as her next of kin." The doctor replied looking at Stephanie.

"It's alright. She can come." Stephanie smiled.

Sheila and Mary Lou looked like they wanted to object until they saw the look on her face. The smile wasn't one of friendliness if you knew what you were looking for. It was predatory. Whatever was going to happen, Diane was not going to come out the victor and they knew that.

Derek took a step forward to join them, but Stephanie held up her hand. "I said her mother could come, not her cheating ex-husband."

He glared at her as she turned and began walking with the doctor. They stepped farther down the hall where everyone could see them but no one could hear them. Lester kept an eye on Stephanie. It was hurting him more than he cared to admit that he had no idea what was going on with Penelope. The fact that she was lying on a bed in surgery, her body holding bullets he should have taken, was eating him up alive. He didn't know how Ranger handled it whenever Stephanie was hurt.

Stephanie and Diane listened to everything the doctor had to say to them over Penelope's injuries. She was badly hurt, Steph already knew that, but everything he was telling her made it seem so much worse. She wished briefly for Bobby so he could tell her what everything meant, but the doctor was pretty clear in his explanations and she knew he was telling her in as clear a manner as possible.

The problem was that to extract a couple bullets there was a high risk. Right now Penelope was stabilized, but to make sure they could repair the damage done from those bullets, they needed permission, which Penelope was incapable of giving at the moment.

Which meant it fell on Stephanie.

The surgery was risky. There was a high chance Penelope might not come out alive, but the doctor was cautiously optimistic.

Diane, however, was not. "Oh, god, I'm losing my baby!"

"Ma'am, as I said—"

"No, we don't want Penelope to suffer, do we, Stephanie? It would be such a cruel thing to put her through this." Diane gave Stephanie a hard look.

Stephanie's mind was reeling. When Pen had told her she had her medical power of attorney this was not something she thought she would ever be faced with. The surgery was a high risk. Penelope had told her once that they had similar thinking patterns. What would she want done? She'd want to fight, but at the same time she didn't want Pen to suffer any ramifications. Diane was looking at her, silently imploring her to give in and tell the doctor no. Pen's words came back to her _"If you're in a situation where you wanted to fight for your life, would you want someone who probably wants you dead to decide for you?"_

That moment of clarity was all she needed.

"Doctor," Stephanie looked at him, "Do the surgery."

"_What?_" Diane's shriek alerted everyone in the waiting room. They were already watching her but from the way she was acting all of them grew drastically concerned.

"Ms. Plum, you're certain?"

"Yes, sir, I am." Stephanie said firmly. "If you're even the slightest bit optimistic that you can do this and keep Pen alive, then I trust you to do so."

The doctor smiled at her. He was glad she had given the go ahead. Ms. Thayer's mother on the other hand baffled him. Usually parents wanted their children to survive. "I'll let you know as soon as everything is over." He hurried away not wanting to be a part of the coming tirade he could tell was on its way.

"Are you insane?" Diane demanded as she followed Stephanie down the hall where everyone was waiting.

"I'm certainly not known for being completely sane." Stephanie answered.

"The doctor told us it was high risk! She shouldn't have to suffer! You know she will! Just let her go so she can be with her daddy. Why would you want to force her to live?"

They had arrived back with everyone. They were all waiting to hear the news. Instead they saw Stephanie turn and face Diane with such strength it left them all in awe. "I'm not forcing her into anything. I'm giving her the chance to fight, you sanctimonious bitch! If you loved her at all you'd want her alive and well."

"The risk is too high…" Diane sniffed.

"Bull shit. The doctor said it's a high risk, but not impossible. You just want your daughter dead so you can try collecting on her fortune. Well, guess what, you're not going to get that chance. I'm making sure Pen comes out alive, even if it's just to make sure you can't have any more Botox."

Diane stood straight and looked down her nose at Stephanie. "Just remember, dear, if Penelope dies in that surgery, it's on your head." With that she left with Derek smirking right behind her.

Stephanie stood in place for several moments. Her whole body was shaking. Suddenly the adrenaline of the day was gone. Exhaustion, fear, turmoil all rolled over her. Ranger caught her as her knees gave out. He sat back down cradling her in his arms. The tremors came back in full force. She sat there trembling as Ranger ran his hands up and down her arms trying to soothe her.

Lester watched them, his heart clenching painfully at the idea of Penelope dying.


	27. Chapter 27

**AN: Hi, everyone! Thank you for all the reviews! :-) I'm so glad you guys enjoyed the last chapter. Lots of things had to happen during that surgery to propell other things forward. This chapter is a little shorter than the others, but a little pivotal. Hope you guys enjoy this one as well! **

**Please Read and Review! :-D**

* * *

**Rediscovery**

**Chapter 27**

_Lester reached across Connie's desk for the last donut._

_"Santos, you're gonna lose an arm if you touch my donut!" Lula threatened._

_Lester laughed. "You gonna be the one to do it?"_

_"Nu-uh! I'll just get my Tank to do it! He's bigger than you." She replied._

_"I can take him." He retorted._

_Penelope was watching him and laughing. He grinned at her. Despite some of the still healing injuries she had from the jumping, they had gotten pretty creative in bed with each other. He had never met a woman who could match his sex drive until he'd met Penelope. It was good—real good to have someone who could meet him all the way. She wasn't bad company either. In fact, she made him laugh as much, if not a little more, than Steph did. Steph was like a sister to him, but Pen…well, after the sex they'd had on the beach, Penelope was definitely not like a sister._

_"Careful, Les," She teased him, "Ranger might make you do some dirty things to make up for putting all that sugar into your body."_

_"It's okay, Gorgeous." He grinned. "I'll get Steph to help me out. She can sweet talk him into almost anything."_

_Penelope started to laugh. An explosion of bullets shattered the window she was in front of. The world seemed to slow down and Lester could only watch in horror as his lover slowly collapsed in front of him. He ran to try to get to her, but the closer he got the farther she became. He kept running, chasing her down, desperate to get to her._

Lester jerked awake and blinked, trying to figure out where he was. The waiting room. They were still waiting to hear about Penelope's surgery. He ran a hand over his face. That had been a nightmare, what he'd just seen. He couldn't handle the idea of Pen being hurt and him being unable to do anything about it.

But that's just what happened, he thought bitterly. He hadn't gotten to her quickly enough. He didn't even get close before a bullet caught him in the shoulder taking him down. She was already falling when he got shot. None of his military training had ever prepared him for this, he thought angrily. He'd seen friends die in battle, had honored them when he came back, but he had never had his heart in as much pain as it was in right now.

Glancing over at his cousin, he bit back a sigh. He had no idea how Ranger managed to hold himself together whenever Stephanie was hurt. After serving with him in the Army, he, Tank and Bobby had learned what to look for in one another if they were getting close to their breaking points. Ranger had the most rigid control of all of them, but they had seen him get extremely close to losing it one time or another.

Stephanie was still curled in Ranger's lap, her head tucked under his chin. The tremors everyone had seen shaking her body had subsided under Ranger's soothing touch. Now, as Lester looked at her, she just lay there with a vacant look on her face. Her eyes seemed to be far off into the past. Given the last time one of her close friends was hurt they lost her, he couldn't blame her.

He wasn't sure what had transpired between the doctor, Steph and Diane, but from what he had gathered, well, what _everyone _had gathered was that the surgery was risky and Diane was ready to pull the plug on her own daughter. Lester was glad he was under some heavy pain meds; otherwise he would not have hesitated to hit Diane. Knowing how hard the decision had been for Stephanie to make, he felt relieved to know that she had decided to help save Penelope.

Ranger and Lester's eyes met over the top of Stephanie's head. Ranger could see the emotions flying through his cousin's eyes. It was going to be interesting watching him go through this struggle, he thought. He and Lester had always been as bad as each other. They had never let their hearts get invested, much to their family's chagrin. Ranger had been lost the moment Stephanie walked into the diner a couple years ago. He knew Lester had been lost shortly after meeting Penelope.

Mary Lou and Sheila sat next to Stephanie and Ranger trying to keep themselves calm and patient. It was hard, so much harder than when they found out about Kaylee. The pain had been immediate because Kaylee had been found dead. Now they were waiting and the world seemed to go slower as they waited on news for their friend. Lenny and Jace had shown up an hour after Stephanie gave the doctor the okay. They sat with their wives, praying for the best and fearing for the worst.

Connie and Lula, upon being release had refused to leave the hospital until they knew how Penelope was. Lula was currently leaning up against Tank, trying to fight the drowsiness that her pain medication was putting her in. Connie was sitting by Woody who engaged her in small conversation. Vinnie had to go back to the bonds office but he had actually shown some kindness from his perverted soul when he told Stephanie that he hoped Penelope would be alright and that he hoped whoever did it was brought to justice.

Needless to say it had rendered everyone speechless, thus causing him to leave the waiting room quickly.

Stephanie sat up suddenly. The doctor was heading toward them. She tried to read his face, but she couldn't tell what was going across his face. He had a blank look that surpassed Ranger's. Stephanie stood up along with Sheila and Mary Lou. Unconsciously the three women grasped each other's hands. The men stood behind them ready for anything.

"Ms. Plum," The doctor greeted her.

Stephanie's heart was pounding wildly in her chest. She looked up at him. "Doctor."

"Ms. Plum, I'm very happy to tell you Ms. Thayer came through surgery with no complications." The doctor smiled. "She's going to be pretty sore for at least a week and it'll take a bit of time for her body to get back to normal, but you gave her a fighting chance. You're a good friend."

"Can we see her?" Sheila asked.

"We're moving her right now. She'll be unconscious for a couple more hours, but you'll be able to see her." he told them. "I'll come get you when we've got her situated."

The moment he left, the women buckled. For the second time that day, Ranger was catching Stephanie before she fell. "Oh, thank God." She murmured. "Carlos…I was so scared…"

"I know, Babe. I know." He said softly. Mary Lou and Sheila were being helped into their chairs. Ranger glanced up and saw that Lester was gone. He shot a look at Tank who nodded and stood. Helping Lula up, they walked off. Tank was going to get Lula situated at his apartment and find Lester.

Of course, Lester hadn't even left the hospital. One of the reasons he was one of Ranger's best men was because of his uncanny ability to get in and out of places he shouldn't be in. And being in the surgery room where Penelope was still in was definitely not a place he should be in.

He looked at her, hooked up to IVs, her skin look shallow. Looking at her face, he would guess she was simply asleep, but he knew the truth, and hated himself for what he had been unable to prevent.

The doctor walked in. "Sir, you can't be in here."

"A couple moments, please." Lester said quietly not taking his eyes off Penelope. The doctor saw the look on his face, nodded and walked back out of the room.

Lester walked up to Penelope and took her hand in his. "Hi, Gorgeous." He kissed her forehead. "I'm sorry I couldn't protect you. I should have. I was supposed to be protecting you…not stealing a donut."

He bowed his head. "Pen, baby, I…I can't protect you, not when I'm so close to you. I can protect you from afar but that's it. Ranger will make sure someone will be next to you until we find out what's going on." Looking back at her face, he could swear she wore a look of confusion on her face. He kissed her lips softly. "Fuck, I think I've fallen in love with you. I'm sorry, Pen." He kissed her once more and walked out of the room, nodding to the doctor

/\/\/\/\/\

Penelope was sure she was dreaming. In her dream she was on a beach with Lester. It was the same beach they had been together a couple days after they first met. They were tangled in each other's arms. He kissed her softly, his lips brushing hers in a feather soft movement. She moaned and reached for him.

He was whispering to her. "_I can protect you from afar but that's it…Fuck I think I've fallen in love you with you. I'm sorry, Pen_." And he disappeared.

In her dream she cried out desperate to reach him again. She raced around the beach trying to find him to bring him back to her.

Then she woke.

Blinking against the bright light in the room she looked around and groaned at the fact that she was in the hospital. Wait. _Why _was she in the hospital? The shooting came back to her and she cried out, her mind seeing Lester get shot and go down. She struggled to get up, unaware of the fact that she hit the button calling for the nurses until one came hustling in.

"Oh, good, you're awake Ms. Thayer. Now, now, don't try and sit up on your own. You're going to be sore." The nurse told her gently laying her back down.

"Need…to…find…Lester…" She rasped out.

"Poor thing. You've been out for almost a day. You woke briefly but you seemed to be in so much pain they decided to medicate you for a while longer." The nurse ignored her comment about Lester and continued talking about what they had done.

Penelope stared at her blankly. The door to her room opened and Stephanie walked in. She took one look at her friend and rushed to the bedside. "Pen, you're awake!"

"Water." She finally demanded.

Stephanie laughed and picked up the cup of water sitting near the bed. When Penelope was finished she asked, "How do you feel?"

"I hurt." Was the honest reply. She looked around. "Private ward?"

"Yeah. Ranger insisted. You've got two RangeMan employees guarding your room. Your mother and Derek are _not _allowed in." Stephanie told her sitting on the edge of the bed.

"Thank god for that." Penelope muttered. She looked at Stephanie panicked. "Steph, the shooting, they got Lester. He's not here—where did he…?"

"Oh, Pen, sorry!" Stephanie cried realizing that should have been the first thing she covered. "Lester is fine. He took a bullet to the shoulder. It went through. According to the boys' it only needed a band- aid."

"Then…where is he?" Penelope asked softly.

Stephanie's heart broke at the vulnerable look on her face. It was unusual and rare to see Penelope attached to a man. She was better at using them and spitting them back out. "Pen, I'm sure he's home resting. They gave him some strong pain medicine yesterday and he refused to leave the waiting room till we knew what the outcome of your surgery was."

"Oh." Her voice was still small.

"I imagine he'll be here soon…"

"No," Pen's voice was stronger now, "No. I just got used to having him around, that's all. He's been a wonderful friend, Steph. I'm glad he's not hurt worse."

"Pen…"

"Stephanie. You know my stance." Penelope leveled her with a strong look. "I don't do relationships. Lester and I were good at giving each other a release, it's not like I need him to be here coddling me." Except that was exactly what she wanted and needed she thought privately, trying to ignore the battered feeling her heart was giving her.

Stephanie gave her a level look. "Lawyering up is an awfully good way to protect yourself, Thayer, but you're going to hurt yourself in the long run."

When Penelope did nothing but glare at her, Stephanie sighed. "Fine. Be a stubborn ass. You should know though, that your mother and Derek are trying to do something."

"When aren't they?"

"Pen, this is bad. Derek is trying to get in with your lawyer."

She rolled her eyes. "Christy knows. It's why I hired her. She told me a few weeks ago Derek is there trying to seduce her. He wants access to my will so he can change things."

"You're letting him get away with it?"

"Nope." Penelope grinned. "_He _thinks he can seduce Christy into giving him what he wants. It's just not going to work out in his favor in the long run."

"Derek usually gets what he wants. At least he did in college." Stephanie reminded her.

"True…but Christy has a girlfriend." Penelope smiled smugly.

Stephanie looked at her and started laughing. "Pen, that's awesome!"

"And my mother?" Penelope asked after Steph stopped laughing.

"Your mother..." Stephanie shook her head then explained everything that happened in the waiting room.

"Now you see why I trust you over them?" Pen asked. "The doctor gave you optimism and you took it. Diane would have axed me. Bitch."

"She and my mother should never meet." Stephanie sighed.

"God help us all if they do."

/\/\/\/\/\

"Enter!" Ranger barked from inside his office. He had a small mountain of paperwork to catch up on that he did not relish doing one bit. He would have liked nothing more than to be with Stephanie at the hospital, but she refused to let him spend another day away from the office.

Lester walked into the office and shut the door. "Ranger, I need a favor."

"Santos, you're on medical leave for two more days." Ranger said sitting back watching him.

"Yeah I know." He said. "I need to talk to you about when I'm off it."

"I know, you'll be with Penelope again." Ranger turned his attention back to his paperwork.

"No. I won't."

_That _caught Ranger's attention quicker than anything else would. He looked back up at Lester. "No?"

"That's the favor I need, Ranger. I need someone else to be with Penelope." Lester said.

"Lester, you're one of the best men I've got. If Kazarra is the one targeting Penelope then I can trust you to keep her alive." Ranger said.

"No you can't." Lester's voice was strangled. He leaned forward, bracing his hands on the desk and dropping his head. "I lost focus, Ranger. I couldn't keep her safe and she got shot. She nearly died. I…I couldn't help her. It's not a good idea for me to be the one to stay with her. Cal is good. Have him do it."

"Santos—"

"Carlos," Lester used his name, addressing his cousin rather than his boss, "I can't keep her safe if I'm right next to her. Please."

Ranger looked at him for a long moment, then picked up the phone. "Cal. My office."

When the knock on the door announced Cal's presence, Lester backed away from the desk and a mask came over his face that Ranger was familiar with. "Enter."

"Boss?" Cal asked entering the office.

"Cal, from here on out, you're guarding Penelope Thayer until further notice." Ranger told him.

"Yes sir." Cal said.

Once he was gone, Ranger looked back at Lester. "Santos, what do you plan to do?"

"Usually you put me on monitor duty when I get shot." Lester cracked a grin. "Guess I'll be hanging out in front of them again."

Ranger gave his imperceptible nod and turned his focus back on his mountain of paperwork. Lester took it as his cue to leave. The moment his door shut, Ranger leaned back in his chair. Lester was doing something incredibly stupid, he thought, but he couldn't stop him from doing it either. Lester was going to have to work things out for himself, just like Ranger had. Hopefully it wouldn't be too late.

Although, Ranger thought, the moment Stephanie realizes what Lester is doing he's going to wish he hadn't. Ranger couldn't help the grin that came to his face at the thought of his lover reaming his cousin.


	28. Chapter 28

**AN: Hello, everyone! Sorry for the wait on the next chapter! I had a little bit of difficulty with this one because I was trying to figure out how I wanted to do things. I actually deleted the first version of this chapter since I didn't like the way it was going. I like this one (which I'm sure you can tell since I'm posting it, lol). I finally gave Kazarra's father a name. I couldn't come up with one I liked so for a long time he was just the nameless man who spoke. Now he has a name, yay! I hope you guys enjoy the chapter! **

**As usual, I don't own them, I just like to play with them...especially Ranger. Please read and review! :-D**

* * *

**Rediscovery**

**Chapter 28**

"Well?"

"They shot up the Plum's bond office when they saw Thayer enter with Lester Santos." Came the report.

"Good." He nodded satisfied. "I assume she's been taken care of."

"Not exactly, sir." Dwayne Kazarra shifted nervously as he avoided his father's eyes. "Thayer is alive. Apparently Stephanie Plum has her Power of Attorney and told the doctors to do whatever they had to in order to keep her alive."

"And she wasn't convinced to do otherwise?"

"No sir." Dwayne rocked back and forth on his heels. He had done everything he could in order to make sure Penelope was taken care of but that stupid bitch had chosen to keep her alive. If he could get his hands on her…

"That is extremely disappointing." His father's voice was cold, emotionless. As a child, Dwayne had feared it. As a teen, he'd come to see the wisdom in his father's attitude. As an adult, he'd done what he could to cultivate a similar approach. Clearly, from the look on his father's face, he had failed to do so. If he had even half the carriage his father did he would never have been arrested by the cops and RangeMan.

"Father, I will continue to do what I can in order to get Thayer out of the picture." Dwayne hastened to reassure him. "But since she's no longer the prosecutor, I don't see why we even bother. I'm not on trial anymore."

Everett Kazarra stared at his son. He brought a glass of whiskey to his lips and sipped before setting it down on the arm of his chair. He had expected so much more from Dwayne as the years had gone by. How had he failed? He had never been arrested by the police or captured by RangeMan (although, he did acknowledge in Dwayne's defense of that, RangeMan was nonexistent when Everett had been in his prime of life). He still exuded the unyielding strength he had had when he first began his business. Dwayne simply did not seem to get that from him, no matter how hard he tried. Everett blamed his wife. She was too soft on their son, even after he had given her a good beating.

"Thayer may not be prosecuting your case any longer, but she is still a threat." He finally said, eying the glass in his hand as though it contained something fascinating. "If you manage to avoid being arrested again for something else, do not doubt for a second that Penelope Thayer will not hesitate to try getting that case so she can put you away."

"Your lawyer will keep me out of jail." Dwayne said over confidently.

Everett's eyes traveled back to him. They narrowed until they saw Dwayne squirm. When he had him where he wanted he said, "Our lawyer is good, and has kept many of our men out of jail. Thayer is better. Make no mistake about that."

"But you only hire the best!" Came the sputtered replied.

"Believe me, son, if I had any inkling that Thayer would work for me, I would have bought her services the moment she was done with law school." Everett retorted. His voice coiled with disdain as he continued speaking, "As it is she developed her father's sense of morality. Damn man was a pain in my ass when he was alive and his daughter will be a pain in the ass if she's not taken care of."

"I'll find a way into the hospital…" Dwayne began earnestly.

"No." Everett interrupted. "Don't be foolish."

"Father, if she's in the hospital, she's clearly not going to move!"

"Exactly!" He snapped. "Do you honestly believe Ranger will not have men on her keeping her safe and alive?"

Dwayne glared at his father. Damn him, he was right. There was no way to get to Penelope while she was in the hospital. Ranger would have men on her 24/7. Fuck. If she wasn't connected to Stephanie Plum, he would have been able to get in and gotten to her and killed her. It would have been glorious too, he thought with a sickening glee.

"Dwayne!" Everett barked. "Need I remind you that we have other business to attend to?"

"But you said Thayer is a threat." Dwayne said sounding like a petulant child.

It took everything Everett had not to reach across his desk and beat the hell out of his son. "Yes I did."

"Then killing her will get rid of the threat."

"Son," Everett smiled slowly. Dwayne hated that smiled. It had always promised punishment. Cruel punishment that had been delivered to him over the years until he'd learned not to question his father. "There are always worse things than death. When the time is right, Penelope Thayer will wish for death."

/\/\/\/\/\

Stephanie sat at her cubicle working on searches for Rodriguez. She may want to focus on Kaylee's murder more than anything, but she still had a job to do so she could pay her bills. And while she loved Ranger for allowing her to utilize RangeMan resources, she didn't want to shirk her other duties. So she spent the majority of her morning sitting in front of her computer working on said searches.

Out of the corner of her eye she saw Lester walk toward the control room where there were monitors. Normally, he would wave at her and give her some funny quip on his way to the Land of Boredom as it was being referenced but in the last four days he had steadfastly refused to make any contact with her.

It confused her because he had never treated her like that before, but she found out from Tank that Lester had been put on monitor duty because of his injuries. That didn't really surprise her because it was normal for men to be taken off fieldwork after an injury. The only thing she could think of was that he was probably afraid to hear if something had changed with Penelope.

Which it hadn't. Penelope was stuck in the hospital for at least another week. The doctors had decided that she was going to stay where they could keep an eye on her. This decision came after they realized she was a friend of Stephanie's and decided that they weren't going to risk her behaving in the same manner that Steph was prone to do when she was let out of the hospital earlier than she should be.

Stephanie usually went to visit her after lunch for a few hours to keep her company. Penelope had managed to sweet talk her into getting her laptop so she could do something while she was stuck at the hospital. Usually, she only got through one or two rousing games of Solitaire before her meds would kick in and she would fall back asleep. So far the doctors were extremely pleased with Penelope's recovery. Her injuries were healing nicely. There would be scars, but Penelope waved those off saying, "Better to have a few scars than to have no life."

Penelope did insist on Stephanie going back to work. She loved her friend, but they both knew they got restless sitting in one place too long and of the two, Penelope handled it better. To make sure Stephanie would go back to work with little fuss, she had called Ranger and made him come get her. It had been an amusing sight indeed when Stephanie refused to go and Ranger simply threw her over his shoulder and carted her out of the hospital like a sack of potatoes.

Stephanie smiled as she thought of that moment. While she hadn't liked the way she had been handled initially, it had definitely led to some interesting moments in the SUV on the way home. Once they had gotten back to RangeMan, Ranger had promptly taken them to Steph's apartment on four because it was the quickest room they could get to.

Stephanie had been pleasantly surprised when she saw Henry working at RangeMan. She had seen him in the gym getting the tour of the building from Cal. They hadn't really had the chance to speak yet, but she knew they would soon.

"Hey, Steph."

Speak of the devil, she thought smiling as she turned around to face Henry. "Hey, Henry, how's it going?"

"Good." Henry nodded. "Ranger's a good boss. I like it here so far."

"Awesome." Steph said.

"Hey, listen, I heard about Penelope. Is she okay?" Henry asked leaning back on the desk of her cubicle.

"She's fine. The surgery was touch and go because of where one of the bullets impacted and got itself lodged, but she came through with flying colors."

"That's good. Real good." He sighed. Stephanie thought it sounded like a relieved sigh, not that she could blame him. They had all been relieved when the doctor came out with the news. She could imagine he thought of Kaylee the same way they had all been thinking of Kaylee.

"You should go visit her." Stephanie said. "She'd enjoy the company. I'm beginning to think she might be getting sick of me."

"You're the only one visiting?" He chuckled.

"No!" She exclaimed. "Mary Lou and Sheila go over frequently, In fact most days she has all of us there throughout the whole day. It works out seeing as how her mother keeps trying to get in to see her."

"Ahh." Henry nodded. He had met Diane once and the moment they had met he wanted to run the other way. He didn't trust her or like her.

"I'm going by later if you want to come with." Stephanie told him.

"Yeah, sure. I'll see when I get off." Henry nodded and stood straight so he could leave. Before he did he hesitated, "Uh, Steph? About that time…"

"What time?" Stephanie looked up.

He cleared his throat. "You know."

"It never happened." She said with a smirk and almost laughed at the look of relief on his face. "Henry, I love Ranger, but I'm not stupid. I'd hate to see you meeting him on the mats at five-thirty every morning for something that never happened." She winked and turned back to her computer.

She continued to work in a blissful silence for another hour, nearly emptying her inbox. Then she opened it again to send some information back to Rodriguez and she saw it full again. She let out a low growl.

"Babe."

Stephanie jumped at Ranger's voice and turned around to glare at him. "Wear a bell!" She told him.

"Gotta be aware of your surroundings, Babe." Ranger said leaning down to kiss her. "I have something to show you." He grabbed her hand and pulled her up, leading her to the elevators. He hit a button and they began their descent down into the bottom of RangeMan.

"You have a basement?" Stephanie asked with surprise.

"Yes."

"What's down there?" _Please, don't let it be dead bodies that they've had to hide, _she prayed.

"Babe!"

"Oops." She knew she had said it out loud. She gave him a sheepish smile.

The elevator stopped and they stepped out. Stephanie's jaw dropped at the sight in front of her.

In front of her lay a complete gym full of gymnastics equipment. Everything she could need or just plain want to practice on was laid out in front of her, calling her name. In a thunderstruck awed trance she walked through the gym, stopping at the mats to automatically kick off her shoes. She touched the trampoline lovingly, caressed her fingers along the balance beam, grinned when she saw the uneven balance beams farther down the way. The vaulting board and table called to her.

There were weight machines, as well as a stationary bike and treadmill, along with a tread climber so she could work on her muscle strength when she wasn't moving across the floors.

Turning back to Ranger, she smiled. "Carlos, you made me a gym."

He couldn't help the grin that came to his face at the look of awe and love that shined brightly in her eyes. "Yeah, Babe."

"You're the sweetest man." She said as she hopped up on a balance beam. With expert moves she moved along the balance beam. When she saw Ranger about to step on the mats, she stopped and pointed at him. "No shoes on my mats!"

"Babe."

"No," She shook her head and easily did a flip off the beam. Stephanie bounded over to him, launching herself into his arms. "Thank you, Carlos, I love it!"

He kissed her. "Glad you love it, Babe." He set her down and put something in her hand. "This is your fob. There are only a few with access to this area. You, me, Bobby, Tank, Lester, Ella and Luis, so he can help fix any equipment. There are cameras set to monitor the entire gym so if anything happens and you need someone to get down to you, you'll be seen right away." She looked to where he pointed and nodded. She could live with that. It made sense. "Bobby made a medical station for you over here. According to him since you did gymnastics for so long you'll know how to treat injuries related to it, if you don't need anyone else to help. There are grips and chalk ready for you as well."

The station he indicated also had a phone attached to the wall, which she could figure out was if she needed someone to come help her if she wasn't stuck on the floor with an injury.

Stephanie just continued to look awed. Her very own gym. "Batman, you're really determined to make me fly."

"Babe." Ranger turned her and cupped her face with his hands. "You need to fly, and if gymnastics is how you fly, then you will fly and I'll do everything I'm capable of making it so you can. The gym on three is for my men, and you don't have enough room to do as much as you want. And since I require my employees to have gym time this is a good way to make sure you get yours."

"I'm not getting up at five thirty." She stuck her tongue out at him.

"Good." Ranger kissed her, sucking her tongue into his mouth, "Because then I'd be inclined to come down here to work out so I can watch your hot little ass move across those mats."

"Don't you plan on doing that anyway?" Stephanie asked sweetly.

Ranger laughed. "Yeah, Babe, I do."

They sat there holding one another, just savoring the feel of being together. Stephanie couldn't believe Ranger had gym built for her. She couldn't wait to get busy in it. She knew she always teased Ranger about having his zone, but she knew she had her own when she was working out and doing gymnastics. Everything that was bothering her just fell away and when she was finished she could think clearly. It was a wonderful feeling.

"Carlos." She tipped her head back. "Why is Lester avoiding me?"

"He's on monitor duty, Babe." Ranger answered, wanting to avoid the question. He _really _didn't want to answer that.

"Carlos, it's not monitor duty. He's been going out of his way to avoid me. He hasn't gone to the hospital to see Penelope…everything is just off." She said, frustrated.

"You know I put injured men on Monitor duty."

"I know, I know, but like I said, it's not just at work."

Ranger went to war briefly internally. On the one hand, telling Stephanie why Lester was avoiding her and Penelope went against the brotherhood they had created while serving together and while growing up. On the other hand, he didn't agree with Lester's attitude, having done the same thing and knowing he was stronger now that he was with Steph versus apart from her.

He went with the latter. "He's avoiding both of you because he doesn't feel he can protect Penelope soundly. He let his emotions get in the way and he's punishing himself for it."

"What a load of shit!" Stephanie burst out.

"Babe. I did the same thing."

"Yeah, and look how that went." She marched out of his arms and stomped around for a minute before stopping to pick up her shoes and shove her feet in them. "What an idiot! He's the perfect person to protect her. Can't believe he's gotten his head shoved up his ass. _I _should take him to the mats for being such a dunderhead!" She let out a frustrated sound, which came off suspiciously like a growl.

Ranger decided it was wise just to let her continue to rant. "Does he have any idea how much she's hurting? No, I bet he doesn't." Stephanie continued. "Both of them are idiots. _No strings attached my ass_. Those two were bound to become attached from almost the moment they met. And now they both pull this. Him with his macho attitude and her with her love em and leave em-tude. And Kaylee gave me shit!"

"Tell me how you really feel, Babe." Ranger said unable to repress the smile any more. Damn, he thought she was pretty cute when she got worked up like that.

She whirled around and tapped her foot as one of her hands went to her hip. "Do _you _agree with what he's doing?"

"No, but I understand where he's coming from." Ranger replied coming closer to her. He held out his hands and she slid hers into them and let him pull her to him. She sighed and closed her eyes. He felt good.

"Then you won't mind if I go ahead and deal with them my way?" Stephanie asked.

"Babe, I was hoping you would."

* * *

**Hm...what possible way could Steph deal with them? Oh the ways...**


	29. Chapter 29

**AN: Hello everyone! I hope all of you are enjoying your week (what's started of it anyway). Thank you to everyone who has reviewed the story so far! I don't know if the way Steph is dealing with Lester is up to everyone's liking, but I figure she's going to go this route for a bit before really giving it to him. So, the usual disclaimer applies, I don't own them, just playing. And please, read and review! Y'all make me so giddy when I get new reviews! :-) Enjoy the rest of your week!**

* * *

**Rediscovery**

**Chapter 29**

Stephanie grinned as stepped into her gym a couple mornings later. Oh, Carlos was perfect, she thought as she walked over to the mats and began stretching and warming up. He had practically made this gym competition ready. She was going to force herself to get on the stationary bike and get her muscles warmed up then she was going to start flying.

Fortunately for her, this was her own private gym, which meant that there were no delicious looking men to keep her occupied while she biked. It did mean that she was going to be focusing on two problems at hand. Figuring out how to ream Lester, and find Kaylee's killer.

So far, reaming Lester was going to have to take the forefront. Everything she had looked into on Kaylee's murder drew nothing but a blank. In the back of her mind she knew she was missing something. She didn't know what, but she knew she had to step away, regain her thoughts and come back to it. Plus, she thought a little too smugly, Morelli was having just as much trouble finding anything out.

The door to her gym opened and Ranger came in. She grinned slightly. True to his word, he was coming in to watch her do her gymnastics.

"Babe." Ranger paused by her bike to steal a kiss.

"Batman." She murmured as her mind fizzled out from the kiss.

He climbed on the tread climber and began his workout. They both moved silently for half an hour in their respective zones. Supposedly. Rather, Ranger was feeling slightly twitchy that Stephanie wasn't talking. It was unusual for her, even when she was upstairs in the gym everyone else used.

A quick glance at her told him she was so far deep in thought he was pretty sure she wasn't even aware of the mileage she had managed to bike. "Something burning, Babe?"

"Your cousin is a pinhead and Penelope needs to be throttled." She said plainly. "I can't corner him. He's too sneaky."

"We were trained to be sneaky." Ranger said offering a reason as to why she couldn't catch him.

Steph shook her head, her legs pumping harder. Unconsciously, she hit a couple buttons to give herself more tension in the bike. "That's all good and well when you have to go save the world, Carlos, but he doesn't have to go save the world. He just has to stop so we can yank his head out of his ass and bang it against a wall for being such an idiot."

Ranger let out a bark of laughter at the visual that brought to his mind. That would be an interesting sight indeed. "What about Penelope? Have you reamed her yet?"

"I tried." Stephanie muttered. "She lawyered me."

"Babe."

"Carlos, you try arguing with her." She said. "Pen's a born arguer. Out arguing her is a sign of the apocalypse. We should all be terrified."

Ranger paused the tread climber. He clutched the rails in a desperate attempt not to burst out laughing. "Babe…"

"It's not funny!" Stephanie exclaimed. "She's as bad as Lester. The only reason I'm not hitting her head against a wall is because she just went through surgery. She should be counting her blessings." She sighed and closed her eyes. "She's in love with him. I can see it. When she woke, she sounded so vulnerable when she wanted to know where he was. I've never seen her act like that, except when her father died. Even then, there was a steel backbone that kept her from getting too emotional. Carlos, I'm worried that if things don't get fixed then things will end badly for both of them."

"What do you suggest?"

"I don't know. I'm not sure I can do…" Her voice trailed off as her thoughts wandered. Suddenly she shot him a sly grin. "Carlos…"

/\/\/\/\/\

The morning meeting began quietly enough. The core team ran through their usual reports on the major clients and what was going on with their systems. In regards to Morelli (yes, Ranger did make sure there was someone watching him, especially after having Steph arrested for assault) no one saw anything suspicious. The shooting on the bonds office was the main source of discussion, everyone clearly interested in figuring out who had done it and why.

Lester made sure he avoided any contact with Stephanie and only replied if he absolutely had to. He did note that Stephanie wasn't trying to get his attention this morning. Compared to the last few days, he had to admit it was surprising. He'd been stealthy in avoiding her but it looked like she had given up.

"The rotation on Penelope is going smoothly. Most of them say the same thing. Her mother keeps trying to get in to see her. Ex-husband does too." Tank reported, seeing out of the corner of his eye that Lester's hand on his pen gripped tighter. Any more tighter and the man would break it, he thought. Tank shot Ranger a grin. "Apparently a certain bounty hunter—"

"Steph," Bobby coughed.

"—told Diane that if she came back she would have one of the nurses inject her with a sedative and have a doctor find a way to show Diane's true age, including facial scars and wrinkles." Tank finished, his eyes twinkling with amusement.

"Babe."

"What? I was on the spot. It was the quickest thing I could think of." She defended.

"Sometimes I think you've got a born sadist in you, Bomber." Bobby told her chuckling.

Ranger interrupted. "Since we still don't know who the shooter was aiming at, Stephanie is on monitor duty until further notice—"

Lester's head shot forward as Stephanie exclaimed, "What? Ranger, that's not fair! Just put one of the guys with me!"

"This isn't up for negotiation."

"Ranger!"

He looked at her with his blank look, the one that told her she was not going to win no matter how much she argued. Steph let out an annoyed sigh and sat back in her chair shooting glares at him every so often. She could see Lester sending him ugly looks also. Clearly, he did not like the new situation any more than she did.

The moment the meeting was over, Lester shot out of the room and back to the control room. Looking at Ranger, Stephanie asked, "Are you sure? I promise not to go anywhere without a man on me!"

"Babe, even if you were just leaving for a girl's day, you'd have a man on you." He replied, "But while you're at work, I'm not taking chances."

"I bet I could convince you." She said slyly sauntering up to him and running her fingers along his chest.

"I bet you could." Ranger caught her around the waist and dragged her to him in a tight embrace. He kissed her hard and whispered in her ear, "Go get em, tiger."

She gave him a wicked grin as she pranced out of the room and headed to the control room. "Looks like it's just you and me, Les, in the Land of Boredom. How will we survive?" She sang out as she walked in.

He grunted in response.

"Awesome." She sat down next to him. "I'm going to get to have an entire conversation with myself and look like an idiot because you won't respond to me."

"We have a job to do, Stephanie."

Oooo, she thought, Stephanie not Beautiful. He really wasn't happy to be stuck in here with her. Well, too damn bad. She was going to make him suffer.

"Pen's doing better, if you're curious." Stephanie said sitting back to watch the monitors. "I know you two were just fuck buddies, but I figure you'd still like to know if she's up for sex or not. The doctor says for probably not a couple more weeks at the very least."

Silence. Lester simply leaned forward and tried to ignore her. Behind him, Stephanie grinned.

"Did you ever find out how good she is with a banana? No? Well, if you don't find out soon, some other guy is going to find out." She continued conversationally. "Did you know when we were in college, someone once dared her to swallow a whole banana. Needless to say, it impressed a lot of guys. I've heard how good she is going down—"

Thankfully for Lester her phone rang. But the conversation she had on the phone was even more torturous than the visuals that Stephanie had managed to put into his head.

"Hi…Mm-hmm…Oh, sure, you know she'd _love _to see you!..." Stephanie laughed suddenly,"…well, be careful that you're not aiming for anything long term. You know how she is, love em and leave em….what can I say? She can't be tamed…Sure, sure, she'd love some flowers…okay, that sounds good…bye."

When she hung up she could see Lester practically twitching. He was not as good as Ranger was at schooling himself into not moving. Oh, she was sure he could do it if he were on a mission, but right now he was not on a mission. He was stuck in the control room watching the monitors with her and she was going to torture him slowly and surely.

"Hey, Steph!" Henry paused in the control room. "I was looking for you."

"Hi, Henry." Steph smiled warmly at him. "What can I do for you?"

"I'm going to go see Pen after my shift ends. Do you remember what kind of chocolates she likes?" He asked.

It took everything Lester had not to turn around and tackle Henry to the ground and beat the shit out of him.

"Pen loves most chocolate, Henry. Her favorites are chocolate covered strawberries. There's a little chocolate shop near the hospital. You can get them there." Stephanie answered.

"Thanks, Steph." He gave her a quick hug and hurried out of the control room.

"Damn," She sighed and shook her head, "If it wasn't for the fact that I have Carlos, I'd be envious of Pen and all the male attention she's getting while she's in the hospital. Hal told me yesterday how sweet Pen was to him. Offered him some of the goodies that had been delivered to her from some guy at her old law firm."

"What are you trying to do Stephanie?" Lester snapped out whirling around to face her.

She gave him a wide eyed innocent look. "What? I'm making conversation."

"There are other topics of conversation you could have chosen!"

"What do you care what I choose? You're just ignoring me and you and Pen seemed to have a no strings attached policy. You've never been jealous before, _Santos, _so why start now?"

He glared at her for several hard seconds. She could feel his warring emotions as she stared him down. She might feel a teensy bit sorry for what she was doing later…maybe. Probably not, she rationed. She could just argue with Penelope, even if she got lawyered by her friend in the process. Lester, on the other hand, would just ignore her. But the emotions she saw flashing in his eyes told her he cared much more than what she and Penelope defined things. Which meant what she told Carlos in her gym this morning had been right, she thought.

Finally, Lester turned and stormed out of the control room. Seeing the direction he was heading, Steph quickly sent out a text.

_**Angry cousin heading your way. Love you.**_

_**Babe.**_

Stephanie grinned at the text. She kind of wanted to be in her lover's office when Lester showed up.

Ranger just waited patiently, knowing it would take seconds after Steph's text to him for Lester to arrive. Looking down at his hand in his lap, he held up five fingers and slowly began counting down. He hit two before his office door slammed open and there was his cousin looking a little feral.

"I need you on the mats. Now!" Lester demanded.

Ranger raised an eyebrow. "What's the problem?"

Lester just glared at his cousin. "Ten minutes, Ranger. Mats!" He turned and nearly barreled into Tank as he hurried off to the gym.

"Did he just order _you _to the mats?" Tank asked looking amused.

"He sure did." Ranger chuckled as he stood.

"What'd Bombshell do to him?"

"She's torturing him."

"Think it's going to work?"

"I've just been ordered to the mats by my own employee, haven't I?" Ranger and Tank stood at his doorway looking toward the control room. Steph leaned back in her chair and gave them a finger wave.

"Man, all I've got to say is, I'm sure glad we've never been on her bad side. I'd hate to see what she'd do to either of us." Tank said.

/\/\/\/\/\

Frank looked around the apartment he'd rented. He had heard about the phone call Helen made to Stephanie while she was waiting at the hospital for word on Penelope. It had been Ranger who had called and told him to beware of his wife. Of course, he had already been planning on moving out. Things with Helen simply were not what they used to be…if they ever had been.

He knew from Edna that Helen was on a rampage now. She was furious that Stephanie was not listening to anything she was telling her to do and was trying to make up any excuse she could when others in the Burg questioned why Frank wasn't staying at home anymore.

What Frank had never been able to share with his wife (and he wondered how telling it was on his marriage after all these years) was that his pension from the Army had given him an extremely decent cushioning. He had his own savings and checking set up for emergencies and had made sure he never told his wife because he knew she would use the money on the house to make sure it was up to Burg standards.

Leaving his wife certainly counted as a need to get into said accounts. He'd found himself a decently sized apartment, security provided by RangeMan, and he'd even given Edna the access code. Their relationship seemed to get better now that Helen's true colors had started coming through in full force.

He knew he needed to talk to Stephanie about the developments taking place. She should hear it from him, and no one else, he decided. Plus, he wanted to see how her friend was doing. He remembered her from college and always got a kick out of Penelope.

Dialing his daughter's number he smiled when she replied. "Hi."

"Hi, pumpkin. Are you at work right now?"

"Mm-hmm."

"I wanted to know if you'd mind if I stopped by to visit your friend in the hospital. I've always thought she was a sweet girl."

"Oh, sure, you know she'd _love_ to see you!"

"Good, good." Frank smiled. His baby girl sounded so much happier than she had been in a long time. He knew Ranger was behind it, and all her friends. "That crazy old bat has been going to viewings again looking for 'studs' as she calls them. I hope she finds one that will keep her out of my hair."

Stephanie laughed. "Well, be careful that you're not aiming for anything long term. You know how she is, love em and leave em."

"Crazy old bat will kill a man her age…and Ranger's age too!"

"What can I say? She can't be tamed."

"Don't I know it." Frank let out a sigh. "Do you think Penelope would like flowers?" He wanted to give her something to cheer up her room. It was the father in him. Penelope was like a sister to Stephanie, closer than Valerie had ever been to her, and he would treat her like a daughter.

"Sure, sure, she'd love some flowers."

"I'll visit her this morning. I'd like to meet you for lunch at Pino's if you're available." Frank said wanting to talk to her sooner than later about everything going on with their family.

"Okay, that sounds good."

"Alright, see you then, Pumpkin. Bye."

"Bye."

Frank looked at his phone for a second, wondering about the conversation they'd just had. Usually his little girl was much more talkative with him. Years of instinct told him she was up to something and when he met her for lunch, he was going to find out just what exactly he had been party to.

/\/\/\/\/\

"Bombshell, you trying to kill the man?" Tank asked leaning against the door frame.

"I don't know what you're talking about." Stephanie said innocently.

"Really? You have no idea what set Lester off to make him go order Ranger to the mats so he can beat up on someone?"

"_Lester _ordered _Ranger _to the mats?" The look of shocked disbelief was evident on her face.

"Yep," Tank continued to watch her.

Well…that certainly hadn't been the outcome she expected. She thought he might rant and rave and make Ranger take her off monitors, but to order his cousin/boss to the mats instead? Suddenly she grinned.

"Tank…" She said slowly, "How often did Ranger drag you guys to the mats when I was with Morelli?"

"More times than I like to remember, Bombshell."

Her grin widened. Oh yeah, Lester was going down.

"Ranger's going to kick his ass, you know that?" Tank asked.

Stephanie shrugged. "Lester's fault, not mine."

"Remind me never to piss you off this badly."

"I'm not pissed, Tank." She told him. "I'm perfectly calm, rational and vindictive. I would never succeed at physically hurting Lester enough to make him realize he's wrong, but I can use mental torture."

"How long is this going to go on?"

"Depends on when Lester decides to man up."

Tank could only stare at her and wonder if any of them had ever known this side of Stephanie existed. And only marginally felt sorry for Lester who was going to be the victim. He hoped Lester would not take as long as Ranger did to get his head out of his ass.


	30. Chapter 30

**AN: Okay, so I took a little longer to update than I meant. I went to Vegas for a week on vacation, but now I'm back so I can update! I hope everyone has had a wonderful week/weekend. Thank you to everyone who has reviewed! It means the world to me that people are staying with me on this story! For the next chapter or two we're going to be focusing on Steph and her plotting ways before we finally get a breakthrough on Kaylee. I hope everyone enjoys this chapter! So please, review? I love seeing them and it's nice to see what you guys think of the chapter!**

**Disclaimer: Not mine, just playing :-)**

* * *

**Rediscovery**

**Chapter 30**

The two men circled one another. Ranger could read the feral look in his cousin's eyes. While he was familiar with the emotions Lester was exhibiting, he wasn't going to condone the actions. It had cost him too much time with Stephanie. It had given Morelli the opportunity to trick her into marriage. So the thought of letting Lester get away with the same attitude was just simply not going to happen.

Knowing Lester's fighting methods, Ranger met every punch, jab, kick and with blocks. A few punches got in, but of the two of them Ranger was the stronger fighter.

"Are you finished?" Ranger demanded as they continued their dance.

Lester did nothing but gave a slight growl and lunge forward. The men went down together, rolling across the mats. A small group of men had gathered near the mats to watch the sparring match. Most of them had heard about Lester calling Ranger down to them. They all wanted to see who would win and many of them were already putting money on Ranger.

It wasn't long before both of them were coated in sweat. Stephanie was watching from the monitors and was repeatedly checking for drool. The others that were watching were waiting to see how long Ranger would toy with Lester before dropping him.

Bobby leaned towards Tank. "Does Lester realize that Ranger's not giving it his all?"

"Probably not." Tank replied. "Steph screwed with him enough to throw him off."

"I'm not surprised he's acting like this." Ram said from the other side of Tank. All of them were standing there conversationally as they watched the sparring match.

"No?" Bobby looked over at him.

"Nope." Ram shook his head. "He and Ranger are cousins. If anything we should've expected it the moment Lester met his match."

Tank nodded in agreement. "True."

"Hey…" Bobby got a mischievous look on his face. "We all told Ranger's mom about Steph. She's been harping on meeting her for the last couple years. What do you suppose would happen if we tell Lester's mom about Penelope?"

"Between her and Steph? Man doesn't stand a chance." Tank said.

Ram chuckled slightly. "I'd hate to be him."

Lester's phone was sitting on the ground next to his shirt, weapon belt and shoe and socks. When it rang, Bobby picked it up and looked at the other two men with a grin on his face. "Speak of the devil." He gave a triumphant little laugh as he answered it, "Hola, Marisol."

Tank shook his head as Bobby walked off talking to Lester's mother. "I can't decide who is the most evil; Steph or us."

"Steph." Ram said without hesitation as they looked back at the sparring match. "Steph doesn't need to get Marisol involved. Bobby's doing it to humor everyone. We've watched Maria give Ranger grief every time we've gone to a family event at the Manoso's. Now the tables are turning. Although I do feel bad for Ranger."

"You feel bad for _Ranger_?" Tank shot him an incredulous look.

"Yeah. You'd think he'd want to tell his aunt about the woman who caught his son's heart, considering Lester wasted no time in telling Maria about Stephanie." Ram replied.

"Fucking A."

Ranger knew the men were talking about them. He heard Lester's phone go off and heard Bobby greet his aunt. A smug satisfaction filled him knowing that now his cousin was going to be at the receiving end of all the grief about bringing home a woman.

Lester was watching him, panting with frustration and fury. Logically, he knew he couldn't beat Ranger. It was just a fact. Ranger was the best for a reason. Of course at the moment, logic was clearly out the window and all he saw was someone to beat up for the mental images he had of Penelope.

"You finished yet?" Ranger demanded.

"What's the matter, Cuz? Afraid of getting your ass whooped?" Lester taunted. Ranger's blank mask fell into place. "Don't tell me Steph pussy whipped you."

"Ooooo." All the men in the gym sucked in air at the taunt. They knew that was the one comment Ranger wouldn't let slide.

And they were right. In a matter of seconds, and a series of quick blows, Ranger had Lester pinned to the ground. His forearm was pressed firmly against Lester's throat as he used the rest of his body to hold him down.

"You're making a mistake, Lester." Ranger hissed in his ear. "Get your head out of your ass."

Releasing him, Ranger strode to the end of the mat, grabbed his things and left the gym.

Lester lay on the mat for a second shaking his head to clear it. Fuck, he thought, he'd really stepped in it with that comment about Steph. He just couldn't shake the thoughts of Penelope. Nor could he shake the feeling that he had failed to protect her from someone who was clearly determined to kill her. He wanted to be with her all the time. She had turned into his own personal drug. He was waking up in the middle of the night craving her.

Reluctantly, he stood and made his way over to his things. As he came to the end of the mat, Bobby held out his phone, grinning from ear to ear. "Your mother wants to talk to you."

Lester groaned internally. Could this day get any worse?

/\/\/\/\/\

"Babe." Ranger came into the control room after stopping to take a quick shower.

Stephanie turned from the monitor she was watching and gave him the most innocent look she could muster. "Yes, lover?"

He strode forward, leaned down and braced his hands on the arms of the chair she was sitting in. "That was dirty."

"I haven't a clue as to what you're talking about." She replied sweetly.

"Babe."

"Carlos."

"Remind me never to piss you off, Babe." He brushed his lips across hers.

"Don't ever piss me off, Carlos." Stephanie said cheekily.

With a slight growl he reached beneath her to pinch her ass. "Smart ass."

"You seem pretty fond of my ass." She retorted with a grin. She was rewarded with a bruising kiss. After a couple moments of tongue war, she broke off to ask, "So…how do you feel about going to lunch with me and my dad?"

"Is everything okay?" He asked dropping into a chair next to hers.

"I think so. He asked me to meet him for lunch and since my _boss _says I'm not allowed to go without a man on me, I thought my lover might like to join me." Stephanie told him.

Ranger chuckled. "Yeah, Babe. I'll go with you."

When they arrived at Pino's later, they found Frank waiting in a corner booth. He stood and moved to the side so Ranger could sit with his back to the wall and keep aware of his surroundings. Stephanie slid in next to him and he wrapped an arm around her shoulders.

"Hi, Daddy." She said with a smile as Frank seated himself across from them.

"Hi, Pumpkin."

The waitress came up and got their orders and after she left, Frank gave his daughter his attention. "Steph, there are some things I need to talk to you about."

"Okay."

"This part isn't going to be easy." He said. "I've left your mother."

Stephanie's eyes widened and her jaw dropped. She could only stare at him and blink for several moments. Her mind seemed unable to wrap around the sudden change in her family dynamic. For some reason, she had never thought her father would leave her mother. While she had known for some time that he wasn't happy in their marriage, she just never considered the idea that he would do it.

"Daddy…are you okay?" She finally asked, unable to think of anything else.

"I'm happier, I'll be honest." Frank replied. "I've got an apartment set up near Haywood, believe it or not. It's gated and your mother doesn't have the code, so she can't get in to see me."

"I'm so sorry this happened." Stephanie started to say.

"No," Frank said a little harsher than he meant. Stephanie flinched and he took a deep breath to calm himself. "This isn't your fault, Steph. This is something between your mother and I."

"I don't understand."

"Let's just say she couldn't acknowledge a part of my life that goes against her Burg ideals."

Stephanie's face took on a focused look. Frank watched as her eyes narrowed in thought. Suddenly she looked from him to Ranger and back to him. "Is it because you were an Army Ranger?"

"That's a good part of it." He admitted. "Your mother just can't accept things that are not part of the Burg lifestyle. It's why she won't accept you and Ranger being together." He nodded at the two of them. "Never mind the fact that you've found a man who loves you for you and doesn't want you to change. He's not Italian or from the Burg. That's all she needs to know."

"I don't get her." Stephanie said. "It's like I've got nothing from her other than my Hungarian genes."

Their lunches arrived and for a few moments they ate in silence. Frank looked at his daughter and noticed the thoughtful look she had on her face as she reached over with her fork and took a bite of Ranger's salad. He hid a grin. When Stephanie started eating healthier it was usually because she was doing her gymnastics again. That had been the most telling thing for her.

"Pumpkin, you've gotten most of your spirit from me…and your grandmother, believe it or not."

Stephanie burst out laughing. "Oh, I believe it." She picked up her pizza and took a small bite. After she swallowed she asked, "Do you think you two will work it out?"

"I doubt it." Frank told her honestly. "I wanted to make sure you heard it from me and not from the Burg Gossipmongers. I've talked to Valerie. She's checking on your mother when your grandmother isn't there to do it."

"This feels so sudden, Dad." She said leaning back. She savored the strength she was getting from Ranger. "Does this have to do with you catching mom talking to Morelli?"

Frank studied his daughter for a few moments. In the last few weeks he had seen her come back to life swinging, supported by Ranger and the women she had reconnected with. He decided that if she was going to hear anything about the dissolution of his marriage to her mother, she should hear it from him.

"It's a good part of it." He took a sip of his drink. "I'm sure your grandmother told you she caught your mother on the phone with him."

She nodded. "Yes. She said you yelled at Mom and then left. I was at the hospital and had just gotten off the phone with Mom when Grandma called."

"What did your mother tell you?"

Frank closed his eyes wearily as he listened to his daughter recount the conversation. Although there was a part of him cheering her on when Ranger interrupted to tell him the part where Stephanie ripped Helen a new one.

"I'm sorry, Daddy." Stephanie said at last. "I was just so caught up with everything going on with Penelope—"

"Steph, it's fine." He interrupted. "In that situation, your focus was where it needed to be. Plus, I hadn't left her yet. I have now."

"As long as your happy." Stephanie said. "Then I'm happy for you."

"I will be." Frank smiled at her. "Plus, it's nice not living with your grandmother, the crazy old bat."

The three of them shared a laugh and continued their lunch with amiable conversation. Frank told the two of them about the good spirits Penelope was in. Then a thought occurred to him. "Pumpkin, what was going on when I called earlier?"

"Oh, just some much needed ass kicking." Stephanie said with a dismissive wave of her hand.

He looked at Ranger. "Do I want to know?"

Ranger shook his head. "No, but you should know pissing her off seems to be a bad idea."

"I could have told you that." Frank laughed.

After lunch, Stephanie asked Ranger to take her to the hospital. On the drive over, he glanced at her. "Babe, are you okay?"

"I'm fine." She replied. She looked at him and noticed the look he was giving her. She sighed. "Yeah, I'm really fine, Carlos. It sucks that my family is being ripped apart right now, but deep down I know it isn't my fault. My mother will continue to see it as such and when the Burg gets ahold of the news, I'm sure she'll waste no time telling everyone how much it's my fault and not hers at all. I can't do anything about that. And you know what? I don't care. She'll do what she wants. I know the truth because Dad has never lied to me. Plus, Grandma won't hesitate to tell everyone the truth."

"Proud of you, Babe." He said picking up her hand and kissing the knuckles. All of them, one by one…slowly… Ranger looked at Stephanie and saw the hunger on her face and the shallow breaths she was taking.

"_Carlos_." She moaned as his kisses continued down to her wrist where his tongue flicked out along her pulse, which was racing.

"We're here, Babe." He gave her a self-satisfied smirk.

"Are you looking to be in trouble for that?" She demanded as they exited the vehicle.

Ranger caught up to her and pulled her back to his chest, his hands bracing on her hips. "Do you plan on punishing me later?" He whispered in her ear.

"So much." She moaned softly.

He gave her his 1000 watt smile as he pulled her to the elevators. When they got to the room he waited outside with the two guards, getting full reports from them while Steph went inside.

She found Mary Lou and Sheila sitting with Penelope. They talked comfortably among each other.

"I signed up to teach some dance courses at the community center," Mary Lou was saying. She grinned at Steph and waved, "It's overdue, I think, I miss dancing, and Lenny wants me to have something other than housework to enjoy. We're going to have the boys pick up some of the chores so they have a sense of responsibility."

"Mare, that's great!" Steph said sitting across from them.

"I'm excited." Mary Lou gushed. "It'll be nice to be in shape again. At least the way I was before I had the boys."

"It'll be just like college before you and Lenny married." Sheila teased. "You'll dance, and it'll make Lenny horny and he'll drag you off to the nearest secluded area to have his wicked way with you."

Mary Lou flushed. "You guys knew about that?"

"Duh." Penelope laughed. "How could we not?"

"Especially when we found traces of your clothes on the way to wherever Lenny had taken you." Stephanie chimed in.

"Well…it wasn't entirely his fault." Mary Lou defended. "He just had that gorgeous Harley…"

"Right." Penelope nodded her dead decidedly. "So we'll have to make sure Lenny gets a Harley again."

The three of them laughed at the dreamy look that came to Mary Lou's eyes.

"I'm getting out of here tomorrow!" Penelope said with a grin. "Finally!"

"Doc gave the ok or are you just breaking out?" Steph asked.

"He's giving the okay. He said I'm healing much faster than he anticipated. Apparently my good health habits have given him some comfort. I'll be resting at home for a couple days, but after that I'll be back to work." Penelope told her. A pensive look came to her face. "Who is going to be there since Lester is busy?"

"Busy?" Stephanie asked.

"I'm sure he's busy. After all, he does work for a major security firm." Penelope said. "I couldn't expect him to drop everything for me."

"If Ranger assigns him to you, then he's working." Stephanie pointed out.

"Surely he has other men who can watch me?" Penelope inquired.

"Cal will be watching you." Stephanie told her. "Think you can keep from jumping his bones?"

"Steph!" Mary Lou hissed. Sheila nudged her and shook her head.

"Excuse me." Penelope gave her a long look. "Who I have sex with is hardly any of your business, Plum."

"True…but watching you put yourself through heartbreak is my business." Stephanie shot back.

"You're one to talk!" She snapped. "How long did you dance around Ranger before finally getting your head out of your ass?"

"We aren't talking about me."

"You're being a hypocrite." Penelope growled.

"I don't want to watch you go through the same thing I did!" Stephanie yelled suddenly, startling everyone, and causing Ranger along with the two guards to come barreling into the room. She took a deep breath. "It's fine, Carlos."

Ranger took in the startled look on Penelope's face, and the looks on Sheila and Mary Lou's faces clearly told him that being in the room right now was probably a bad idea. He gave Steph a slight nod then lead the men out of the room.

"Steph," Penelope said quietly, "We're two different people. I know what I'm doing."

"No, Pen, you don't." Stephanie said. "We've seen you with Lester. You are more relaxed and more yourself with him than anyone. I know you two are the biggest players ever, but you two have tamed each other, whether you realize it or not."

"I…" Pen's eyes filled with tears, "I'm scared to give myself to him completely."

"Good. It means your human." Steph smiled. "But he'll take care of you."

"How? He's not here. He doesn't really want me." Penelope said lamely.

"Oh, you just leave Lester to me." Stephanie told her.

The other three women saw the plotting look on her face. Mary Lou said, "If she ever decides to take over the world and become world dictator, I'm on her side."

"Amen." Penelope and Sheila said.


	31. Chapter 31

**AN: Hello, folks, how's everyone doing? Good I hope! All of you who have reviewed, thanks a bunch! :-) You really make my day, and help motivate me to keep going. I can't begin to tell all of you how often I smile when I see a review waiting for me. **

**I'm not sure what any of you are going to think of certain parts of this chapter, but in later chapters it will be revealed why it's there. So, enjoy the chapter!**

**Disclaimer: I do not own JE's characters, I'm just playing with them for a bit.**

* * *

**Rediscovery**

**Chapter 31**

Ranger smiled as he glanced at the monitors and saw Stephanie and Lester camped out in the control room. Normally, he knew she _hated _being stuck in the control room watching monitors, but since she'd returned from the hospital a week ago she'd come back with renewed strength in her campaign to wear Lester down. Whatever had happened between Pen and Steph in the hospital had put her in a great mood. Ranger wouldn't complain, especially since he was reaping the benefits of that every night.

But at the moment, he was trying not to laugh. Lester was currently hunched over, his head in his hands, still staring forlornly at the screens in front of him. Beside him, Ranger could see Stephanie chatting away happily. On some level he wanted to sympathize with his cousin, especially after his Tia Marisol got ahold of him, but…it was hard to sympathize when your cousin kept demanding you go to the mats with him. He would have thought that Lester would get tired of getting his ass kicked but no. He hadn't, so Ranger was more than happy to continually hand Lester his ass every morning.

His phone rang, distracting him from watching Stephanie on the screen. "Yo."

"Boss, Jace is here to talk to us." Tank informed him.

"Bring him in." Ranger replied.

Moments later his door opened and Ranger observed Jace as he came to sit across from him. Trenton seemed to agree with him. Perhaps it was seeing his wife happy with the women she'd gone to college with. Or maybe his case was giving him a lot of leads. He had no idea, but he was glad Jace and Sheila were here for Steph's sake. It was good to see the side of her that he had always known existed.

"Jace, what can I do for you?" Ranger asked after Tank shut the door and took the seat next to Jace.

"I'm not going to beat around the bush, Ranger," Jace said, "We need RangeMan's help. We're investigating the Kazarras'. Legally we can't go after father or son for the drugs since the mistrial. However, there are other shady deals they appear to be involved in. Besides drugs trafficking, we believe they're doing human, weapons, you name it, we're sure they're doing it."

"That's a lot of charges," Tank whistled thinking of all the things besides human trafficking and weapon trafficking that the Kazarras' could be doing.

"What makes you sure of all this?" Ranger asked.

Jace gave him a calculating look. Blank face met blank face. Normally, Jace didn't share information he didn't have to. Officially, he didn't have to give anything to Ranger, but he knew the man and had served under him, so he knew Ranger could be trusted.

"I have a man on the inside." Jace said. "Someone who wants nothing more than to make sure the Kazarras are put away."

"And what makes you think RangeMan can help?" Ranger leaned back in his chair and rested his elbows on the arms of the chair, his fingers drumming together in front of him as he thought of everything that Jace might need from him.

"I know you have contacts in some of the places we believe the weapons and people are going." Jace answered. "I want you to see what you can find out from them." He reached into his briefcase and pulled out a folder. "The original payment offer is the same. We'll need your services for other aspects of the case as well, but right now this is the top of the priority list. We need to find out where everything is being taken."

Ranger nodded. "I'll get started on this."

"Ranger, one more thing," Jace said standing, "It would be best if Stephanie doesn't know about this, especially since the attacks on Penelope."

"What are you thinking?" Tank asked him.

"Penelope told Sheila about a phone call she received demanding she sway the jury the direction they wanted. With the mistrial, and the shooting at the bonds office, all my instincts say that the Kazarra family is involved." He shrugged. "If Steph or Penelope gets wind of it, well, it'll get ugly if they decide to get involved."

"You think?" Tank rubbed his bald head contemplating. He knew Steph could be as vicious as a pit bull at times when she was after something, and dealing with someone like Kazarra….

"I don't think, I know." Jace sighed. "I've watched those two for years, before we all split. When I told you fucking with one of the girls was a bad idea, I meant it. Pen's great with legal issues, in fact, she could probably tie them up in legal suits for years if she really wants to. Stephanie…well, you've seen the videos, or some of them. The Don't-Fuck-With-Me attitude she had then is still there and if she has any idea one of her girls was targeted…let's just say some of the shit we've seen in third world countries won't compare to the hell Steph will bring."

"Got a good point there," Tank nodded, "She's mighty protective."

"Yes, she is. And I'd hate to have to arrest them for interfering with a federal investigation. Sheila would have me sleeping on the couch for months." Jace looked pained.

Once he left, Tank turned to Ranger, "What do you think man? Can you get information for him?"

"I can get it." Ranger nodded. "Whether or not I have to leave the country to get is going to be the interesting part."

"Think you'll have to go in the wind?"

"Hopefully not." Ranger sighed as he looked over the contents in the folder Jace left him. "I'm hoping hearing my name and voice will strike enough fear into them to give me the information without me flying down there."

"You don't sound optimistic."

"I'm not." He replied truthfully. "I'm really not. If what Jace said is true and the Kazarra family is involved in all these things, I want them stopped."

"What will you have to tell Bombshell?"

"I don't know."

"Oh, hey, Lester's heading your way." Tank motioned to the monitor. "Think she's been torturing him again?"

"She's been torturing him all week." Ranger closed the folder and locked it in one of the desk drawers. "She won't stop until Lester realizes he's not doing himself any favors by hiding from Penelope."

Ranger was on his feet when his office door slammed open and Lester came in looking more tortured than before. It made him wonder what Stephanie had said to him today.

"Mats." Lester pleaded.

/\/\/\/\/\

Diane walked around the bathroom of her suite, doing her daily routine of getting herself ready. Derek had been an absolute savior, she thought, by getting her the most luxurious suite in Trenton. It was what she was entitled to after all. If Penelope was any kind of daughter at all she would be making sure Diane was taken care of.

Actually, she thought with a little sniff as she delicately put her make up on, if she was any kind of daughter, she would be leaving all her money to her mother. After everything she had done for Penelope. She carried her in her stomach for nine months. And it had been absolute agony on her figure. She could still see the differences in her body. She had never recovered completely from her pregnancy and couldn't stand the idea of having another child that could do more damage to her body.

Gripping the eyeliner pencil harder in her hand, she saw the angry look on her face in the mirror and took a deep calming breath, which did nothing for her mood. The little brat wouldn't even give her a nickel of her father's husband. Mark had left her so little that it was laughable. She lived a life of luxury and that was something he should have accounted for. What did he expect her to do? Get a job?

Angrily the pencil snapped in half in her hand. Diane glared at it as she threw it in the garbage and put the last minute touches on her make up.

Trying not to think of her daughter any more, she adjusted her robe and walked out of the bathroom and headed to the kitchen to find something to eat. But the moment she walked into the living room she came to a dead halt.

Sitting on the couch, looking like he owned the place, was Everett Kazarra.

"Can I help you?" She demanded glaring at him.

He clucked his tongue. "Now, now, my dear, is that any way to greet me?"

Diane folded her arms under her chest. "You have a lot of nerve showing up here. What if Derek comes? Hm?"

Everett unfolded himself from the couch and stalked towards Diane purposefully. She took several steps back. He grinned predatorily at her. "That little boy? You know better, Diane. He can't please you that much."

She raised her chin. "He gets the job done."

"Gets the job done." Everett barked out a laugh as he continued to advance on her. They moved backward to the bedroom. "He can't make you scream like I can, my dear. You've said it yourself, and you wouldn't lie to me. would you?"

Diane felt the back of the bed at her knees. She swallowed. Everett simply gave her a triumphant look as he reached out and pulled her arms away from her chest. Through the gauzy fabric he pinched her bare nipples. She moaned softly and arched toward him.

"I thought not." Everett chuckled as he tugged the ties open on her robe revealing her naked body to him. "As it is, I've got him busy, if you're that worried."

She opened her mouth to argue, but one of his hands trailed his fingers down her skin softly, reaching her folds. Instead of words coming out of her mouth, a deep moan emerged as he thrust two fingers deep into her.

"_Everett,_" Diane moaned.

It was all he needed to hear as he removed his fingers and lifted her off the ground. Throwing her back on to the bed he quickly removed his own clothes and pounced on her.

There were no soft words exchanged between them, just the hard need to claim. The sound of their bodies moving against each other echoed throughout the room, mixed with Diane's moans and cries of his name. Everett simply took her harder and harder with each thrust.

All too soon they were climaxing and laying in a tangled sweaty heap.

Eventually, Everett propped himself up on his elbows looking down at her. He was still buried in her and planned to stay that way for most of the day. Lucky for him, Dwayne had found a very good way to keep Derek occupied for the day.

"You were supposed to talk to your daughter, Diane." Everett said.

"I am trying." Diane replied. "It's not easy to do when she's protected by Carlos Manoso."

"You should have gotten to her before she went under his protection."

"Oh, please," Diane rolled her eyes. "Have you tried talking to her? She's too much like her damned father. I tried to convince her taking a cruise was a great idea. I've tried convincing her that what she is doing is simply boring and she should just enjoy the money Mark left her. God knows he left her plenty. I don't know what he left it to her if she won't use it."

"Because, my dear," He felt himself hardening as she became more irate at her daughter, "You would have squandered it all away."

"All he left me is gone." Diane snapped. "A small measly little amount that he expected to keep me comfortable until I died."

"Now, now." He thrusted slightly, causing her to moan. "You could have had all the money you wanted from me years ago."

"I refused to be your mistress and be kept."

God help him, her anger just fueled his lust for her even more. His thrusts began picking up. "So you married Thayer, used his money and came to me to be fucked."

"Well," Diane wrapped her legs around his waist, "As you said, no one can make me scream like you can."

"Find a way to get to her, Diane. I mean it." Everett commanded as he reached between them to finger her.

"_Yes,_" She moaned.

/\/\/\/\/\

"Stephanie, are you sure this plan is going to work?" Penelope asked from her seat on the couch. The past week she'd been home had been a slow one. It was beginning to make her twitchy. She didn't like not having something to do.

"Yes." Stephanie answered. "Lester is going nuts with everything I'm slipping into conversations."

"Look, if he really doesn't want me anymore, then that's that." Penelope said trying to conceal how she was feeling.

"Pen, do we really have to have that argument again?" Steph asked as she got up to go to the kitchen and grab a bottle of water. "It's already shocking enough that I actually managed to beat you in an argument—"

"Don't think it'll keep happening."

"—but I'll keep fighting you if you keep pulling yourself down like that." She finished, "Lester's in love with you as much as you are him. I'm enjoying my torture. I refuse to let him do what Carlos did."

"And that is?"

"Keep his head up his ass and cause both of us unnecessary heartache." Stephanie replied. "Although, in his defense, there was the whole back and forth thing I was doing with Morelli."

"I'm not doing a back and forth with anyone."

"True, which is why it's only Lester causing this problem now that you've owned up to your feelings." She smiled.

Penelope could only shake her head and laugh. Trust Stephanie to find the logic in that. Suddenly, she sobered, "Hey, have you found anything about Kaylee?"

"No." She sounded frustrated. "It's like everything is a dead end. I kind of want to reach back in time and shake Kaylee for not telling any of us what she was working on so we could have an idea of where to look. So far, everyone's been helpful, but no one has information. I feel like I'm at a road block and can't get around it no matter which route I try."

"And first DVD she sent us is more like a farewell." Penelope mused. "It's like she knew something would happen to her and wanted to go in prepared."

"Yeah, but what could she have gotten to that would have been so deep that she would make a DVD saying farewell?" Stephanie pondered.

"No idea." Pen sighed.

"Yeah, me either." She laid her head on the couch as she tried to think of the second DVD. "Hey, you mind if I go watch the copy we made of the second DVD on your laptop? I want to see if I missed something on it the first time we watched it."

"Yeah, go ahead." Pen motioned towards her office and closed her eyes when Stephanie walked off. Despite feeling more and more better every day, she still tired easily, plus the medicine seemed to be designed to keep her from trying anything strenuous.

She hoped Stephanie was right about Lester though, she thought. It was so unusual for her to need someone the way she seemed to need him. He made her feel warm and fuzzy, which was something she had never felt with a man. She wanted to hold on to that feeling for the rest of her life. She wanted…

Penelope jerked her head up suddenly realizing what else was on her laptop. "Oh shit."

"What the fuck is this?" She heard Stephanie from her office.

Shit, shit, shit, shit, she thought.

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**Please review! :-)**


	32. Chapter 32

**AN: Thanks for all the reviews everyone! You guys are awesome! I was hoping to have this chapter up a couple days ago, but I was having trouble with a certain scene in this chapter that you'll get to see :-) Hopefully I did it justice. **

**Disclaimer: Not mine, just playing.**

* * *

**Rediscovery**

**Chapter 32**

Penelope stared in the direction of her office and slowly stood. There were few things that ever made her nervous. She was a damned good lawyer and nerves didn't have any place in the court room for her. But what she was about to go into scared the hell out of her.

Fortunately, for her, there was a knock on the door. She gave a small sigh of relief as she hurried to answer it.

The unfortunate part was when she opened it and found Ranger on the other side. _Fuck, fuck, fuck, fuck, fuck, fuck_ was the only word going through her mind as she stared at him.

"Pen, are you alright?" Ranger asked. She looked unusually pale.

Before she could answer, Stephanie appeared in his sight. "Penelope! You have some explaining to do!"

Penelope closed her eyes and took a deep breath. _Lawyer up, Thayer, _she ordered herself. It was the only way she was going to be able to deal with Stephanie. Her friend's temper was up and it was going to be unpleasant.

"What would you like me to explain, Steph?" She asked turning around.

Ranger stepped through the door and shut it behind him. Stephanie had been in a great mood when she left but the sudden fury on her face made him wary.

"It appears that you have a certain video on your laptop." Came the angry retort

"I have a few videos on it."

"This one is from Vegas." Stephanie's blue eyes were snapping dangerously. "Care to come watch it with me?"

With that she turned and marched back into the office. Penelope let out a small sigh and walked to the office, knowing Ranger was going to come as well. She had hoped when they found out about this video Lester would be with her so she could face the firing squad with a partner. Of course if they were separated Ranger could easily have both of them sent to a third world country without anyone knowing…

Stephanie sat down in front of the laptop. Penelope just leaned against a wall and Ranger came to stand behind Stephanie, putting his hands on her shoulders to help calm her down. With a glare toward her friend, she hit the play button…

"_Man, you're crazy if you think you're going to get Stephanie to marry you." Mooch told Joe as they stood at the front of the small chapel. _

_"It's not my fault she's a light weight when it comes to drinking." Joe grinned._

_"Light weight my ass. From where I was sitting I could see how many she was knocking back. There's no way she's really a light weight." Mooch laughed and clapped his cousin on the back, then sobered up. "What's going to happen when she finds out what happened in the morning?"_

_"By then, we'll definitely be married." He looked at his watch. "Damn, what's taking her so long?"_

_"Dude, she's staggering as it is." His cousin said. "Who would have thought you'd be able to pull one over Manoso, huh?"_

_"This is hardly about him." Joe retorted._

_"Bullshit!" Mooch rocked back on his heels laughing, "You've been bitching about him from the moment you were cleared of murder."_

_"He's not going to win." Joe's voice was laced with finality. "Stephanie is supposed to be mine, not his. It's just the way it's supposed to be."_

_"What are you gonna do when your mom finds out?"_

_"I won't have to do anything," He answered. "Her mother will be so happy that she's finally married, Mom will stay out of it. I'll just have to make sure I placate Mom by having Cupcake go to the house for cooking lessons. She's not going to be a bounty hunter once I get her back to Trenton."_

_Mooch simply grinned at him. "Dude, what are you going to do if Manoso finds out how you got to her?" _

_"He's not. You're going to keep your mouth shut." Joe looked at his watch again. "Fuck. Go see what's taking her so long. Then bring her out here. Remember: stick to the plan."_

_"Yeah, sure." Mooch left his cousin waiting in the room as he walked to find Stephanie. Joe paced around, rubbing his hands together in triumph as the officiate came in and congratulated him on his upcoming marriage._

_"My fiancé is a little tipsy, and she may or may not be calling me something else," Joe said. "Don't mind her. She's got a lot of different little nicknames for me."_

_The officiate smiled and said, "They always do."_

_Mooch came back into the room with Stephanie clinging to his arm. "Room is spinning." She muttered._

_"Don't worry, we're almost there. He's waiting for you at the end of the aisle." Mooch told her._

_"Ranger's waiting?" Stephanie, despite her drunken state, visibly perked up. "Here for me?"_

_"Yep, that's right." Mooch looked down the way at Joe and fought the urge to laugh. Joe looked like he was trying to control his laughter as well. "Let's get down there so you can get to your 'Batman'."_

_He finished leading Stephanie down the aisle to Joe. Joe had dressed in a black suit. Stephanie was drunk enough that he knew his plan was going to work beautifully. She looked up at him squinting slightly. "Ranger?"_

_"Yeah, Babe, I'm here." _

_Mooch sat down near the front and fought to keep his humor down. His shoulders shook from laughter that he was repressing. _

_"I thought you were in the wind."_

_"I came back. I missed you."_

_"I missed you too."_

_"You know why we're here, Babe?"_

_"No."_

_"I think we should get married."_

_"Your love comes with…condom." Stephanie blinked repeatedly, trying to get him into focus in front of her._

_"Not anymore, Babe." _

_"Oh."_

_"Want to marry me, Babe?"_

_Stephanie nodded. "Only you. No one else."_

_"Let's do this, then." Joe turned her and they faced the officiate and the short ceremony began. When it was announced that he could kiss his bride, Joe wasted no time dragging Stephanie to him and kissing her deeply._

_As soon as they parted, Stephanie stared up at him. "You taste funny…but you smell like you."_

_"Babe." Joe shook his head and wrapped his arm around her. "Let's go celebrate, Babe."_

_"Kind of tired. I want to sleep." She yawned to emphasize her point. _

It was impossible to tell who was angrier in the room. If Penelope had to guess, she would say that they were both equally angry. She wanted nothing more than to turn and flee. She had known for a long time that she would eventually give the DVD to Stephanie but she had honestly hoped it would be much farther in the future.

It took everything she had not to shrink away when two gazes came her way. One was showing unbridled fury, and the other was a blank mask that told her was much deadlier than it appeared.

"Explain." The coldness in Ranger's voice actually made her flinch.

"I was suspicious of Morelli after finding out that all of you believed Stephanie to be a light weight in drinking." Penelope replied. "The person I knew could hold her liquor better than a sailor. It didn't take me much to figure out that Morelli would have had to realize that in order to get Stephanie where he wanted he would have to really ply her with alcohol."

"How could you not bring this to me?" Stephanie demanded, her voice just as cold as Ranger's. It masked the feeling of utter violation that was coursing through her. Joe Morelli had used her feelings for Ranger to trick her into marriage. He had made sure she was drunk enough to have a hard time seeing that it wasn't him. He'd gone so far as to dress in black and use Ranger's signature body wash. Nausea rolled dangerously in her stomach.

"Morelli wouldn't stop harassing you." She said. "I simply used the DVD as a means of bargaining."

"Means of bargaining." Ranger repeated. It clicked. "You blackmailed him."

"You blackmailed a _cop_?" Stephanie's jaw dropped suddenly.

"I didn't call it blackmail then, and I refuse to call it that now." Penelope said with an edge to her voice.

"What do you call it?"

"Incentive to stay alive." She shrugged. "I know full well that Morelli wasn't going to come out of this well. He'll be lucky if he's stays alive between the two of you, but Stephanie, I knew he would continue to harass you and make your life hell, especially with you trying to find out what happened to Kaylee."

"You did this to protect her." Ranger deduced.

"What better way to protect her than to blackmail him with something he didn't want you ever finding out about?"

"When were you going to tell me about this?" Stephanie motioned toward the laptop.

"When the time was right."

"What exactly constitutes the right time to tell me that my ex used my feelings for another man against me?" Stephanie's voice rose dangerously. Ranger's hands on her shoulders squeezed them in an attempt to calm her down.

"It wouldn't have been prudent to tell you before you were done with your investigation." Penelope answered.

"Not good enough, Thayer!"

"Damn it, Plum!" Penelope strode forward, no longer fearing what either of them could do to her, but rather in an angry motion that made the other party of a courtroom fear her, that made a jury listen to her. She put her hands on the desk and leaned close. "Think about it. Morelli would have had no problem locking you up for interfering in an investigation. He would use it to his advantage with you in a jail cell. What better way to get you to listen to him than to bully you with himself and your own mother? He was going to continue spouting that dribble that you're legally his wife until he was blue in the face. It might not have been the way you would have liked to deal with him, but I don't own a Buick to run him over. I dealt with things the way I knew how. I knew he wouldn't like the idea of someone know exactly what happened, someone who could hurt him, and _I can hurt him. _I put him in a position that would make things very ugly if he tried to do anything."

"What would you have done if he had someone try to hurt you? Hm?"

"You would have still received the DVD."

"Lester knows about this, doesn't he?" Stephanie asked. Penelope took too long to answer. She nodded and stood. "I need to leave."

"Steph," Penelope started.

"Not now, Pen." She said softly, pausing beside her friend to reach out and squeeze her hand briefly.

"I'll take you home, Babe." Ranger said. "Pen, Cal and Ram are here with you tonight. If you need anything let them know."

Mutely she nodded and watched them leave. She swallowed against the lump in her throat. She knew she had hurt Stephanie. It was something she knew was a risk, but she had done it with the best intentions.

Sighing, she walked back to the couch and sat down. She imagined Ram and Cal were sitting outside watching the condo. Her body shook and she gave in to the tears that demanded a release. She hurt so much. She was hurt that she had hurt Stephanie, she was hurt that Lester was hurting her, and she just…hurt.

Her phone beeped with a text message. It was from Ranger.

_**You did the right thing.**_

Penelope stared at the phone blinking at it for a couple minutes. Ranger thought she had done the right thing? How peculiar was that.

She didn't have long to dwell on it before her phone rang. It was Diane.

"Yes, Diane?"

"Sweetheart, I was just thinking of you." Diane cooed.

She rolled her eyes. "Uh huh. What do you want?"

"I was just thinking of how awful it must be for you not to have a job now that the case you were working has been dismissed from court and I thought we could go for make overs."

"The case I was working on was dismissed a few weeks ago." She said tightly.

"Would it make you feel better if I told you I have you lined up for a job?"

"What?"

"Yes, dear," Diane's voice was sickeningly sweet, "I know you were working on the Dwayne Kazarra case, but I've heard through all the gossip that his father needs a good lawyer. I could call him, we used to socialize together years ago." Of course, she failed to mention that Everett Kazarra's head was currently buried between her legs, his tongue working wonders.

"No." Penelope said tightly. "I will not work for that man."

"Darling, you know nothing about him!"

"I know enough to know I won't work for him." She ground out.

"You shouldn't judge the parent by the children's mistakes." Diane lectured. "After all, what would people say about me and you?"

"Probably that I'm more grounded and not a flighty airhead."

"Penelope!" Diane's gasp of indignation covered the orgasm that rocked her body. She shot a look at Everett who simply grinned and crawled up her body and thrusted himself deep into her. He had decided that she would call her daughter and talk to her while he was there. Diane's mouth opened in a silent moan.

"I told you no." Penelope's voice cut through the haze running through her head.

"Perhaps you should consider moving to New York." Diane said trying to hide her pants. "After all, what does Trenton have to offer you? Darling, I have to go. Think about it." She hung up and screamed with pleasure as Everett sped up his thrusting.

Penelope sat on her couch staring at the phone. Her mother's words ringing around in her head. _What does Trenton have to offer you?_

/\/\/\/\/\

Hal looked at the monitor that peered into Stephanie's gym. She was flying across the screen. From the moment she and Ranger arrived back at RangeMan she had gone straight down, without waving at any of them, which was unusual for her.

Lester was sitting beside him ignoring that particular monitor. He was tempted to bring it up, but he had noticed that Lester was barely speaking to Stephanie. They all knew she was torturing him with stories about Penelope. And none of them could come up with any sympathy for him.

Ranger walked into the control room and walked up to his cousin. He clamped a hand down on Lester's shoulder and leaned down. "You should be glad, cousin, that I happen to agree with Penelope's actions in regards to the wedding DVD." His voice was deceptively soft. He saw Lester swallow and gripped his shoulder even tighter. "But don't count on me going easy on you anymore in the gym when you need mat time."

He straightened and looked over at the monitor where he saw Stephanie going across the floor again. She had barely spoken a word during their drive home. It made him nervous, which meant he had no idea how angry she really was at the moment.

With a imperceptible sigh, he turned and marched to the elevator and headed down to the gym.

Upon entering it, he was blasted with the sounds of Metallica. Yeah, she was good and pissed. He leaned against the wall and watched her go for several moments before finally walking to the sound system and turning off the music.

Stephanie finished the series of tumbles she was going through and turned to face him. "I was listening to that."

"Babe." His anger towards Morelli flew to full force when she flinched at his name for her. "Don't!" Ranger walked over to her and took her into his arms. "Do not let him take that from either of us."

"I…" Her voice faltered and she looked up at him with tears in her eyes. "I'm so ashamed, Carlos…"

"You haven't got a reason to be." Ranger told her.

"Yes, I do." She replied. "God, he—he used how I feel about you. He got me drunk enough that I couldn't tell it wasn't you. _And I don't even remember it!_"

"Babe," Ranger cupped her face and looked into her eyes, not allowing her to move away or hide her face from him, "_Morelli _tricked you. You didn't trick yourself. He's better at the game of deception than I gave him credit for. He got you drunk, and used a couple tricks that could fool you into believing I was there."

She tried to shake her head, but he held fast, "I don't blame you, Babe. I didn't blame you when I heard that he had tricked you into marriage, and I don't blame you now that I've seen how he did it."

"How can you be so calm about this?" She whispered.

"I'm not calm." Ranger replied. His hands slid down her neck, down her arms to wrap around her waist and bring her close to him. "I want to rip him apart for impersonating me and using _our _feelings for each other to his advantage, but Penelope had a point. As long as he believes we don't know about the DVD, he'll leave us alone."

"Aren't you going to ship him off to a third world country?"

"Babe." Ranger chuckled and placed his forehead against hers. "As appealing as that is, I think I can find a different way to punish him when you've solved this case."

Stephanie was silent, her lips pursed and she watched him for several seconds. Her voice was small when she finally spoke. "You're not mad at me?"

"Never." He kissed her softly. Quickly it escalated until they were both panting for breath.

"Take me upstairs, Carlos." She murmured.

He wasted no time complying.

Afterward, when they lay together on his bed, wrapped tightly around each other, he brushed a curl off her face. "Babe, I got a message when we got back. I have to go out of town for a while."

"How long will you be gone?" She asked.

"I don't know. Hopefully not too long."

"When do you have to leave?"

"In the morning."

Stephanie tightened her grip on him and grinned slightly. "I'm still feeling pretty angry, Carlos. I think you'll have to spend the next several hours helping me work out that adrenaline."

He graced her with a wolf grin and soon they were rolling around each other.

* * *

**Any thoughts on how Ranger could punish Morelli? We all know that when it comes down to it, Ranger is probably a lot more tricky than Morelli, but I've always wondered how tricky Joe could be when he wanted to be, so I explored it. **

**Please Review! :-D**


	33. Chapter 33

**AN: Hi folks, how's everyone doing this week? I hope everyone is having a great week! Mine is a little off, but that's b/c I'm trying to get too many things going at once, lol. Time management and I have to become the best of friends soon! Anyway, thanks for all the reviews on the last chapter! I love them and they help keep me motivated to write this! I hope y'all like this chapter!**

**Disclaimer: Not mine, just playing!**

* * *

**Rediscovery**

**Chapter 33**

"Micah, how are you doing these days, my man?"

Micah's entire body tensed at the sound of Derek's voice. It was never one he welcomed into his establishment. He had only put up with him in the beginning because Derek had been with Penelope and he hadn't wanted to cause any rifts. Now that they had split, Micah saw no need to be pleasant toward the man.

"Can I help you?" He asked coolly.

"No need to be like that, man." Derek flashed a grin at him and leaned up against the bar. "I'll have a scotch." When Micah just stared blankly at him, he said slowly. "Scotch, it's a whiskey. From your homeland, I believe?"

"I'm Irish." Micah snapped and motioned behind him. "And that sign? It says I have the right to refuse service."

"You'd refuse service to an old friend?"

"Not at all. If an old friend was in here, I'd be more than happy to give them service." Micah gave his own grin this time, but it wasn't a friendly one.

"Fine. All pleasantries, or lack thereof, aside, I'm here on business. Kazarra wants to see you." Derek told him. "As soon as possible."

"I can't make it for a few days." Micah answered.

"You know he doesn't like to be kept waiting." Derek scowled at him.

He shrugged. "Kazarra is a businessman, I'm sure he'll understand that I have a business that needs to run, especially if it's going to help him." His hands reached in front of him and gripped a part of the bar. He was losing patience with Derek—not that he had any to begin with in the first place.

"Fine, whatever." Derek shot him a dark look. "It's your ass if he's upset." He turned to leave then gave Micah a speculative look. "You know what, man? You look like you need to get laid. I can give you a few numbers if you're interested."

"I'm not."

"Don't tell me you've been celibate since that little twit of yours died." Derek laughed as he saw himself out of the bar.

It took everything Micah possessed to not leap over the bar and wipe the floor with Derek. He felt the wood of the bar counter groaned in protest as his grip on it tightened unmercifully. He bowed his head in an attempt to calm himself, but the only thing he succeeded in doing was snapping the part of the counter he was gripping off.

"Micah!" One of his waitresses gaped at him. "Are you alright?"

"I'm fine." He retorted. "I'm taking off for a couple hours. I'll be back before the evening rush."

"I'll get Hank to fix the bar." She told him. "Just…go take care of yourself."

Micah gave an absent nod and grabbed his keys. He was going to see Kaylee to talk to her. She couldn't respond to him, but being there might help him get some things into perspective.

/\/\/\/\/\

There was silence in the control room.

Under normal circumstances…or rather the circumstances of late, Lester would normally be thrilled to have a silent control room. It meant that Stephanie wasn't torturing him and he could avoid thinking of all the sexual things that Penelope had done in the past, things he badly wanted to do with her.

But today things were different. Stephanie was sitting next to him, silent as a mouse, knees pulled up to her chin. She just stared at the monitors looking for any signs of trouble. Had she finally decided to give him the silent treatment? Had she run out of stories to torment him with? He couldn't handle another night of cold showers, but her current behavior was beginning to make him wish she would torture him so he would know she was back to normal.

"What?" He finally demanded turning to look at her.

Stephanie looked at him, blinked and shook her head. "Nothing."

"It's not nothing." Lester snapped at her. "You've been down here torturing me for the last several days and now…_nothing._ You can't expect me to believe that."

"You know what, _Santos_," She stood up and glared down at him, hands on hips, "I wouldn't be down here torturing you if you'd get your head out of your ass!"

"My head is not up my ass!" Lester shot back standing up.

Tank poked his head out of his office at the sounds of shouts. He looked toward the control room where it sounded like it was coming from. Sure enough, there was small cluster of Rangemen standing in the entryway to the control room. With a small sigh, he left the safe confines of his office and made his way down to the commotion.

The sight that greeted him was almost comical. Lester, a large, built man, was nose to nose with Stephanie, who was practically a twig compared to him. They were nose to nose and their voices only seemed to be raising more and more as they sounded off against each other.

"You don't know what the fuck you're talking about!" Lester was growling at her.

"Like hell I don't!" Stephanie snarled back. "I dealt with it for almost two years thanks to Carlos! You can't beat him in '_I'm going to be a martyr and sacrifice myself so she can live a normal life' _attitude!"

"Who's fault is that?" Lester demanded. "You're the one who kept dangling him along while you kept going back to Morelli!"

Everyone's jaw dropped in disbelief at Lester's comment.

_CRACK!_

Stephanie's hand stung from the slap, but she saw with some satisfaction that there was an angry handprint forming on Lester's cheek. She could see the fire raging in his green eyes as he glared at her, fists clenched at his side.

"You're a fucking asshole," She whispered heatedly, "I never would have thought you could stoop like that."

Stephanie turned and marched out of the control room. Lester glared at the crowd around the doorway. "What? You got nothing better to do than watch us argue?"

Tank shook his head. "Damn, Santos. That was low, even for you."

There were murmurs of agreement as they all dispersed. Tank and Ram stayed behind and watched as Lester paced around the room trying to gain some sort of control over himself.

"Brown didn't tell you, did he?" Tank finally asked as he waited.

"Tell me what?"

"Ranger's in the wind."

Lester froze mid pace and turned to face Tank. "You're fucking kidding me."

"No. He left this morning before any of us were up."

Ram and Tank watched as guilt carved itself into Lester's face. _Fuck_, he thought, no wonder Stephanie had been quiet. She'd been the one to see Ranger off and never knowing if he was going to come back alive or at all…

"Son of bitch!" Lester growled and ran his hands through his hair. He felt like the biggest asshole ever. He had to go find her and apologize.

Tank, realizing what Lester wanted to do, said, "She just left. You'll have to wait until later before making amends with her. And I suggest you grovel like you've never groveled before."

/\/\/\/\/\

Mary Lou moved across the dance floor, guiding her kids through the correct dance steps. It hadn't been long before she had gotten back in the hang of her dancing. Her body protested initially after years of inactivity, but now it was humming with pleasure as she moved and bent and twirled.

She smiled at one of the girls as she helped put her into the correct position and guided her through the motions. Lenny was thrilled with her decision. In fact, he was loving the toning her body was beginning to show. She knew he loved her unconditionally, but she knew that he knew she had always been at her happiest when she was dancing, and he was a wonderful man for pushing her to get back into it.

"Alright girls, one more time through the routine." She called as the song ended. "When we're finished your parents are going to be so proud of all of you!"

Across the hall Sheila was going around looking at her students' easels admiring work or offering helpful advice to those who asked. A quick glance through the windowed door she could see her friend across the way in the dance studio. It was hard to hide her grin as she saw the joy in Mary Lou's face.

She turned her attention back to her own students who were all currently painting a nude model who was posing carefully in the center of the room. They were nearly finished. Many of the paintings looked wonderful and Sheila was glad she had chosen to get a real model for this particular assignment for them.

After both classes finished, Mary Lou and Sheila met in the middle of the hall. Mary Lou grinned, "Coffee?"

"Sounds great!" Sheila laughed as they left the building. "Having fun?"

"Loads of it!" She said excitedly. "I can't believe how much I missed all of this! It's fantastic and—oh, Detective Morelli. What can we do for you?"

Joe met the women half way to their cars. The air of pleasure and happiness that had been emitting from them died into a cool frostiness. Their opinions of him clearly were not high from the formality Mary Lou was giving him.

"Mary Lou, I have a warrant entitling me to the other DVD." Joe told them. "If I don't get it, I'll hold all of you for disrupting justice."

"I don't have it, Joe." Mary Lou replied. "As far as I know, none of us do."

"Now, why do I find that hard to believe?" Joe gave a grim smile. "It makes all four of you look awfully guilty by hiding that DVD."

"If you're going to accuse us of something, _Detective_," Sheila said in a low, threatening tone of voice, "I suggest you come back with an arrest warrant."

"I expect to see that DVD, no later than tomorrow." Joe demanded then took his leave of them.

"What exactly did Steph see in him?" Sheila asked shaking her head. "He's a prick."

"I wish I could tell you!" Mary Lou shrugged. "Although I will say, up until his Vegas stunt, he had appeared to be the reformed Morelli."

"Guess the Vegas stunt changed your mind?"

"Definitely." She sighed. "Now, we have to go find out about the DVD. Who knows what happened to it?"

"I'd say the only person who knows it's whereabouts is probably Stephanie."

"I don't see her taking this well when she finds out." Mary Lou pulled out her phone and dialed Steph's number. "Hey, we've got a slight problem."

Interestingly enough, when Morelli arrived back at the station, he found an email waiting for him. The sender was blocked so he had no way of knowing who it was. Normally, he would have deleted anything sent by someone he didn't know. In this case, he chose not to, especially when he saw the title of the subject: _The other DVD you're looking for._

It must have been Stephanie from RangeMan, he decided. It was the only possible explanation. They ran such a tight and private ship there, he wouldn't be surprised if anything he got from RangeMan was blocked.

With a feeling of triumph he sat down and opened the video to watch. The girls had been extremely protective of this particular DVD. It made him curious, for one, and suspicious. What was on this DVD that had them going to extreme lengths to protect it?

Leaning back in his chair he brought a cup of coffee to his lips. His eyebrows rose when he saw Kaylee appear. She was a pretty enough girl. Judging by her attitude so far, there was hardly anyone who would have a bone to pick with her, but after everything he'd learned from her parents, she had been bullied growing up. Ruth had praised Stephanie and the others over and over because of how they brought Kaylee out of her shell.

The DVD faded to the scene inside the car. He grinned at the sight of a much younger Stephanie. Even then, she had been hot. He was guessing she was roughly nineteen or twenty at the time. There was a lot of fire in her, which was fine for her age then, but not anymore.

He couldn't help but raise an eyebrow when Mary Lou regaled his and Stephanie's encounter. He remembered the pain of that knee to the groin and the right hook she delivered him. The banter he saw among the girls was surprising. He knew Stephanie and Mary Lou were close, but seeing this side of them was something else. It was similar to the relationships he had with some of his friends.

Knowing now that none of them could have been responsible for Kaylee's death, he reached for the mouse to turn off the DVD, but when the scene shifted to the club, he paused and decided to let it continue playing.

And then it happened. The moment Morelli saw twenty year old Stephanie making out with twenty-one year old Ricardo Carlos Manoso he lost it.

"SON OF A BITCH!" He yelled throwing his coffee mug across his office. It shattered angrily against the wall.

He sat down breathing hard. Kaylee's words echoed in his head. _Make sure you never settle for someone who doesn't give you those tingly feelings._

Joe ran his hands through his hair. A knock on the door caught his attention. "Yeah?"

Carl stuck his head in. "Hey, man, you okay?"

"Yeah, fine, fine." He nodded. "Just a lot on my mind is all."

"Okay."

A voice in the back of his mind said that this video was proof that Stephanie would never come back to him, while his mind rationalized. He and Stephanie had reconnected after she brought him in as her first FTA. They ended up becoming lovers, so there must have been some tingly feelings there. He would just have to make sure they were stronger than fucking Manoso's.

/\/\/\/\/\

Stephanie was standing in the market staring at the grocery list Ella gave her. For the hundredth time she wondered why she had offered to go to the store for her. And for the hundredth time she answered herself that she needed to get out and get away from RangeMan for a bit. Everything around her was reminding her of Ranger. It was depressing her. There was also the little part where Lester had really pissed her off and hurt her feelings.

So when she saw Ella making a grocery list, she offered to be the one to go get it all because she wanted to get out for a bit.

Now, she was standing in the middle of the grocery store feeling as lost as she would if she were in a foreign country and couldn't speak the language. With a brave sigh, she pushed the cart forward and followed the isles finding the things on the list.

"Well, well. I never thought I'd see the day."

Stephanie froze at the sound of her mother's voice. Turning she found Helen watching her speculatively. "Can I help you, Mother?"

"It's about time you came to your senses." Helen nodded toward the cart. "Now that you're going back to Joe—"

"I'm not going back to Joe." She interrupted.

"Don't be silly." Helen waved a dismissive hand. "I hardly think that _Ranger _is going to keep you around much longer."

"We've been over this." With a deep sigh, she turned to continue on her way but Helen just maneuvered her cart in front of hers.

"Listen to me, Stephanie Michelle Plum." Helen hissed angrily, but kept a pleasant look on her face. It was a little surprising to see her do that, Stephanie realized. Her mother was a much better actress than she had ever given her credit for. "You are ruining my life. Thanks to your need to be the town harlot, your father has left me. It's an absolute disgrace. If you cared about your family at all you would stop this nonsense and go beg forgiveness from Joe."

"Excuse me? I don't think—"

"I'm not finished. When you are done begging forgiveness from him, you'll go and talk to your father and tell him you're sorry for embarrassing all of us. I will _not _have you destroying our family."

"No." Stephanie folded her arms across her chest. "Absolutely not. I am _not _the town harlot, although it's nice to see your opinion of me hasn't changed since I was in college. I will not go begging Morelli for anything and I will not tell Dad that I embarrassed the family. You do that all on your own."

"If you don't, you will not be welcomed back into my house." Helen threatened, knowing she could win that way.

Stephanie surprised her by laughing. "Really? You think that's going to make me change my mind? I know Dad left you. I know where he's at and if I want to see him then I will without you interfering. Grandma doesn't need your permission to see me, she'll find a way whether you like it or not. And Val? Well, that's entirely up to her. I won't speak for her. But do yourself a favor; get over your expectations. I won't live up to what you want."

With adrenaline pumping through her, Stephanie got her cart around her mother and continued her shopping. She hadn't been quiet through her spiel, she realized. If anything, plenty of people were going to hear about it. And she didn't care. She was just so angry with her mother that she wanted to shake Helen Plum and ask what was wrong with her? She was mostly sure Grandma Mazur hadn't dropped her on her head. Mostly sure.

By the time she arrived back at RangeMan, she was still fuming. A couple of the Merry Men came out and helped her get the groceries in for Ella. She headed to the elevator and got in, with plans to head straight to seven. Initially she wanted to get out of RangeMan because everything reminded her of Ranger, now she just wanted to breathe in his intoxicating scent and let it soothe her.

The elevators stopped on four and opened. She glared at Lester as he came into the elevator with her. "Stephanie—"

"Can it, Santos. I'm not in the mood." She snapped angrily.

The elevators stopped suddenly. Great, she thought, just what she wanted. "Guys! This isn't funny!" She shot the camera an ugly look knowing they'd see it.

"We need to talk." Lester said quietly behind her.

"I told you to can it." She crossed her arms and looked away from him.

"Beautiful…please?"

Damn. Double damn, she thought. Not only had he called her Beautiful again, but he had said please as well. Well, fuck. She turned and raised her eyebrows, waiting for him to speak.

"I know I haven't been the best person to be around lately," He said, "And I know you don't understand why I'm doing what I am, but I can promise you it's for the best. Regardless of that, I am really sorry for what I said to you this morning. I was completely out of line and you didn't deserve it."

She slumped back against the wall and regarded him for a moment. "You're right, I didn't. I forgive you."

"That easily?" Lester looked surprised. "You're not going to try hurting me in the gym later or something?"

"Lester," Stephanie smiled at him, "I know full well that Carlos is giving you the beating of a lifetime for you and Pen not telling us about that video. I'm tormenting you in other ways."

"Yeah, about that…can you stop? Please?"

"Only when you realize that you should be with her. Things would be a lot better if you were."

"Beautiful, you're killing me. I have perfectly sound reasons for not being around her. Maybe when things calm down, I'll rethink things, but for now, please just trust that I have a solid reason." Lester explained.

The elevator started moving again. Stephanie sighed. "Alright, Lester. I'll trust that you have a solid reason."

"Thank you."

Tank was waiting for them when the doors opened at five. "Bombshell, I need to talk to you."

"Alright." She followed him to the office and looked at him curiously when he shut the door.

"You're going to trust him?" Tank motioned to where his computer was showing the feed from the elevator.

"Fuck no." Stephanie replied. "I'm to make him regret his actions."

"I see. What do you plan to do?" He was completely intrigued by what his "little sister" was up to. He had to admit he couldn't see her as just a friend. He looked after her the way a big brother would.

Steph smiled, patted him on the shoulder and said, "Sorry, big guy, but if I tell you, I'll have to kill you."

* * *

**Please review! :-)**


	34. Chapter 34

**AN: Hi everyone! I hope everyone's week is going well :-) If not, then I hope it gets better! For everyone who has reviewed, thank you. It means a lot. For everyone reading, well, thanks for reading and hopefully you'll enjoy this chapter as well! I really wish I could tell you guys how long this is going to be, but I'm honestly not sure. I know I have some chapters to go, but things are going to start taking a drastic turn after this chapter I think. :-) **

**Disclaimer: I don't own them, I don't make money off them, I just play with them, and hope someday I find Ranger!**

* * *

**Rediscovery**

**Chapter 34**

It had been a week and a half since Ranger had gone into the wind. Lester, for all appearances, seemed to be back to his care free self, joking with Stephanie when they were in the control room. Tank and Bobby could only watch from afar knowing that she was simply placating him. Part of them pitied Lester for what Stephanie was going to do to him, whatever it was, but another part (the larger, really relieved part) was just glad they were not being targeted by her.

"You know," Tank said to Bobby one morning in his office, "If Stephanie had ever been in the Rangers, I think she'd have given Ranger a run for his money for planning. It's kind of scary the way she does it."

"It makes me glad the Rangers don't accept women." Bobby shuddered at the idea of Stephanie in the Army. "I ran into Mary Lou and Sheila the other day when I was bringing a skip in."

Tank stopped what he was doing and looked at Bobby with a bemused expression. "What skip were you bringing in?"

"I was actually stopping for coffee afterward." Bobby replied. "Anyway, I asked if they had any idea what Stephanie might do to Lester."

"What did they tell you?"

"They have no idea, but they don't pity him." He laughed. "According to them, 'the poor bastard deserves all the torture Steph puts him through.' I gotta say, I agree with them on that one."

Tank grunted in agreement. "Makes me glad we never plotted against Bombshell and Ranger ourselves. Who knows what she'd do to us."

That conversation popped into both their minds as they watched Lester and Stephanie. From the position they were in they could see the mischievous glint in her eyes whenever Lester wasn't looking at her.

They watched as she stood and stretched. She said something to Lester and walked out of the control room. She passed them on the way to the break room. At their attempt to give her an intimidating look to get information from her, she simply gave an innocent look, which they all knew meant she was up to something.

Their attention turned back into the control room and their jaws dropped when they saw Penelope walk into it looking for Stephanie.

"Hey, Plum, where did you—oh." Penelope stopped in the middle of the control room and found herself facing Lester.

"Penelope." Lester said, feeling tension crawl its way into his neck and shoulders. Fuck, he thought, what was she doing here? He gave her a look over. Physically, her injuries seemed to have healed well. She was wearing a tank top that showed where one of the bullets had caught her in the shoulder. The scar was small, but he could see it was there.

Finally, he asked, "How are you doing these days?"

"I'm fine, thank you." Penelope replied formally, falling back into all her training growing up of politeness. "How is your shoulder?"

"Better. I should be off monitor duty in a few days if Tank lets me." Lester said before he could stop himself.

"Does that mean you'll be guarding my body again?" She asked throwing him a careless smile. What her smile said on the outside was that she was teasing, but on the inside she was screaming for him to say yes.

But Lester shook his head. "No. Cal is continuing to guard you." _And he better not be guarding your body like that, _he thought dangerously.

"Is that usually how things work?"

"If Ranger feels that's how they have to work."

"Interesting…." Penelope brought a hand up to play with a necklace she had dangling down. She looked like she was processing that thought. "Did you see me when I was in the hospital?"

"Briefly. You were unconscious." Lester didn't feel the need to tell her that he had snuck into her room.

Her eyes flashed suddenly. "After my surgery?"

"Yes."

Several minutes passed as they stared at one another. Things were falling into place. She hadn't been dreaming, she realized. What she had thought was Lester's spirit saying goodbye hadn't been a dream; it had been him telling her that he was ending things, despite how he really felt about her.

And suddenly, instead of feeling hurt and not understanding what had been going on, a fire of anger swept through her faster than fire through a forest. Lester didn't see it. What he saw was someone who was deceptively calm. Someone who was looking at him in an assessing way. It was something he didn't like. He wanted to know what was going through her mind.

"You son of a bitch." She said softly. "I heard you talking to me."

"I didn't—" Lester tried to say quickly, but she cut him off.

"I thought you had _died_." Penelope growled. "I heard what you said to me! You said you could only protect me from a far and that you thought you loved me. You bastard! _Stephanie _had to tell me that you hadn't died. How dare you!"

"Penelope, you don't understand." He stood and took a step toward her.

She backed away from him. "Don't. You sat there and said you thought you loved me, and yet you couldn't even be bothered to come anywhere near me for the last few weeks."

"Penelope—"

"Stop!" She said in a voice that was clearly reserved for the courtroom. "You're a fucking jackass, Lester Santos! _I told you no strings!_ That was what the deal was supposed to be and you go and tell me that when I'm unconscious. Who the hell do you think you are?"

"I got too close to protect you properly!" He snapped.

"What a load of bullshit, Santos!" She shot back. "You're just being a scared little boy!"

"I'm not scared of shit!"

"You're a liar!" Penelope's voice rose. "You know, Derek's betrayal was bad because he was fucking my mother. You're _worse _than Derek because the feelings are there, but you're too cowardly to even give in to them!"

Tank and Bobby had retreated to Tank's office where they brought up the monitor showing the control room. The audio feed was coming through loud and clear. Their jaws were slowly dropping as they watched the conversation going on.

Casually Stephanie walked in with a mug of coffee. "Hi, boys. Anything good on the monitor?"

"Fuck, Bomber." Bobby shook his head. "You play dirty."

"Course I do." She shrugged as she looked over Tank's shoulder.

Penelope's voice came through the feed, "_You're a coward, Lester, and I don't have time for cowards. If you can't be a man then it's a good thing Cal is the one guarding me. I'd hate to be guarded by someone who can't be honest with himself or me. I'm done with you, Santos." _

"That's my cue." Stephanie grinned cheekily as she exited the office. She found Penelope coming out of the control room with a flummoxed Lester staring at her.

"Hey, Pen," Steph greeted her. "How's it going?"

"He's a jackass!" Penelope jutted her chin toward the control room. "And I need a drink."

"Then it's your luck day." Stephanie led her to the elevators. "I just realized we should be celebrating your recovery. We need to do something to enjoy the fact that your body is completely mobile."

"What do you have in mind?"

"We're going to a club tonight. Feeling up to it?" She pushed four on the buttons and knew the Lester would probably be watching the camera.

"God, yes." Penelope closed her eyes and sighed. "I told him I'm done with him."

"Well, then." Stephanie paused briefly. "Are you sure?"

"Yes." Her voice was small. Stephanie knew her friend was putting up a front but it was going to work out beautifully in the long run.

"Alright," Stephanie nodded. "In that case, let's get you back out there, _Cannibal._" She grinned when Penelope laughed remembering the reference to the song from their night of karaoke.

"Bring on the men and the condoms!" She said on a laugh. "And hold the ring." The last statement caused Stephanie to burst out laughing.

/\/\/\/\/\

The _Tiger's Den _was a new club in downtown Trenton. Its popularity had skyrocketed quickly. It was almost impossible to get in, but Tank had assured Stephanie that she and Pen would get in with no trouble since RangeMan did the security in the building. It was one of the most profitable accounts they had.

From the outside, the club looked to be one story, but when you walked in, there were a set of stairs that lead down into the club itself. The bar was to one side of the club, tables and chairs on the other with the dance floor in the middle. The dance floor lit up, showing people dancing to the beat of the music pounding through the place.

The moment Stephanie and Penelope walked through the doors of the club, all eyes turned toward them. They were dressed to kill. Bobby and Tank had stopped by her apartment to make sure everything was okay. When they had seen the way the two women were dressed they had nearly been put on lockdown in Ranger's apartment.

Penelope sported a blood red halter top that dipped low enough to give a glimpse of cleavage. Her smoky eye makeup brought her green eyes out in a flash of seduction. Her hair cascaded down her back in seductive waves, making men want to run their hands through the thick locks. She wore black pants that molded to her perfectly.

Next to her, Stephanie wore dark blue jeans, with killer heels, a slinky spaghetti strapped shirt that made men want just a little more. Her curls were tamed up into a twist, showing off the dangling earrings. Her own make up gave the appearance of daring men to be brave enough to come up to her.

Bobby and Tank were both praying that Ranger never found out they let Stephanie go out looking like that without one of them. As it was Ram and Cal were in the club just in case something happened and they needed to get the girls back to RangeMan or Penelope's condo.

"Ready to come out to play, man eater?" Stephanie asked as they came up to a table.

Penelope was already eyeing all the men, who were openly eyeing her back. A waiter came over and took their drink orders. She looked at Steph and gave a small grin. "You know, Plum, there was a time you'd've been right here with me."

"Yeah, there was." Stephanie nodded and shared the grin.

"Planning on having any victims?"

She chuckled. "I may dance here and there, but consider me your wing woman."

"Oh, no, I don't think so." Penelope shook her head. "You better do more than dance here and there. I don't want you here looking sorry for yourself."

"I'm not looking sorry for myself." Stephanie glared at her. "It's not my fault my lover is out of communication for now."

"Would he object to you dancing with others?"

_Probably a little, _she thought idly. "Alright, I'll dance." It was a good thing she'd learned some awesome getaway techniques she decided later. It would come in handy if any of the men decided they didn't want to stop dancing.

The waiter came up with their drinks. Penelope sipped hers and angled her head at a man who was staring at her intently. When he realized she was watching him, he angled his head at her in greeting. She grinned over her drink and sipped. Yep, she decided, this was just what she needed, and ignored the little voice in her head screaming at her.

A good dance number came on, and Ram wandered over and asked Stephanie to dance. It was a safe dance. He was also glad that Stephanie knew they would be there. She hadn't put up a fight of any kind when Tank told her they were going, whether she liked it or not.

The man wandered over to Penelope. "I see you friend has abandoned you."

"Maybe I wanted her to." She replied with a smile.

"Would you like to dance with me?" He asked resting his hand on hers softly.

"Think you can keep up with me?" She asked coyly.

He chuckled. "I'm willing to find out."

And so he did. Penelope found him to be a great dancer. He moved their bodies together sensually, flowing to the beat effortlessly. With her back to his front, she closed her eyes and fell into the beat. _This _was what she needed she decided. She didn't do relationships. She had made a mistake letting Lester get that close to her.

After her divorce, she had been determined to keep all men at arm's length. Lester had gotten close…too close for comfort. Fuck, she thought, as the song ended and she found herself with a new dance partner for the next song, her heart was aching at the thought of him. The bastard. With determination, she shoved all thoughts of Lester out of her mind and let her body take over.

By the time she made it back to the table, she was hot, sweaty, and feeling more irritated, because thoughts of Lester's hard body pressed up against her kept invading.

She grabbed her drink and threw it back quickly. She motioned to the waitress for another one. Stephanie was sitting, sipping her drink idly and smiled at her. "Problems?"

"Fucking Santos." She growled as her new drink appeared. Ram and Cal watched surprised as she threw it back and asked for another. They looked at Stephanie, who shook her head at them. She would let Penelope get as drunk as she needed.

Stephanie leaned back in her seat, crossed her legs at the knee and slung an arm across the back of one of the chairs next to her. Bringing her drink to her lips again, her eyebrows rose ever so slightly at the sight of a certain pissed off Merry Man.

Penelope finished off her third drink when someone came to ask her to dance. She agreed and let him lead her into the crowd of people.

"Might want to be ready, boys." Stephanie said shooting them a grin. They had already seen him.

The man's hands found her waist and was moving his pelvis against her backside. Their bodies grinded against one another. And suddenly, he wasn't there. Penelope turned around surprised and gasped in outrage.

"Lester! What the fuck do you think you're doing?" She shrieked above the music.

Lester glared at the other man, who was drunk enough to realize that messing with this guy wasn't worth it to get the girl. He staggered off.

"Damn it, I'm talking to you!" Penelope grabbed his arm and made him face her.

"What the fuck do you think you're doing?" Lester growled at her.

"Getting over you!" She shot back. "Since you clearly can't be bothered to want me!"

As she turned to leave and go find someone who was willing to ignore the fact that Lester was there, Lester grabbed her. Penelope shrieked as she found herself thrown over his shoulder. "What the fuck? Put me down, you ape!"

"Shut up!" He snapped at her. "You had you turn, now it's mine." He walked out of the club with her over his shoulder.

Stephanie grinned at Cal and Ram. "Good thing I drove."

/\/\/\/\/\

The ride to Penelope's condo was silent. She could feel the emotions radiating off him. If she was more sober than she currently was, she would have been tempted to continue the scene that had started in the club. But right now she was drunk enough to decide acting like a petulant child and sulk silently was the best course of action.

Lester pulled up in front of the condo and got out. Despite his anger he went to the passenger door and opened it for her. She shot him an ugly look. "Are you going to get out on your own or do you want me to do it?"

The thought of forcing him to do it brought a bolt of lust through her. Wanting to kick her body for still wanting him, she simply glared at him as she got out of the vehicle.

He waited until they were locked safely in the condo before turning on her. Penelope leaned sat on the back of her couch, arms folded across her chest.

"Well?" She demanded. "Please enlighten me to the reasons behind your sudden caveman act."

She was beautiful when she was pissed. The temptation to drag her to the bedroom and have his way with her then talk was extremely appealing, but he restrained himself. For now.

"Tell me something, Penelope. How did you feel when you heard about Kaylee's death?" He asked quietly, trying to reign in the angry beast that was ready to unleash.

The question threw her off. "What?"

"Answer me."

"I was devastated." She answered.

"You and Stephanie spent a lot of time protecting her, didn't you?"

"Yes." Penelope said slowly. She was failing to see where he was going with this.

Lester stalked closer to her until he was in front of her. Yanking her up into his arms, he asked, "Tell me how it felt when you failed to protect someone you were close to, when you'd spent so much time protecting her before."

"I…I…" She faltered as she looked up into his eyes. "That was different."

"How? Because you couldn't protect her? Because someone killed her when none of you were there to keep her safe?" Lester tightened his arms around her as he felt her shudder. He watched the tears come into her eyes. "How do you think it would have felt to watch her die and not be able to get to her?"

"I…don't know." Penelope whispered.

"I _watched _you get gunned down by the shooter." His voice was barely above a whisper. "I couldn't get to you. My feelings for you are much stronger than that of a friend. I felt like I was being ripped apart. I haven't been able to close my eyes without seeing you get shot."

"Lester…" Penelope's voice quavered.

"I've seen a lot of shit in the Army. Done things I'm not proud of, seen comrades and friends die in the name of our country. But seeing you get shot haunts me more than anything else does." His voice was still low. "So I had to distance myself. If I couldn't protect you be being near you then I'd do it from afar."

"That isn't fair." She whispered.

"I know." Lester said roughly. "But it's going to change." With that said, he cupped the back of her head and brought his lips to meet hers.

/\/\/\/\/\

Stephanie decided to go to Ranger's apartment when she got back to Haywood. She was exhausted, but feeling extremely pleased with herself. It didn't change the fact that she was missing Ranger. So, her solution to that was to just go to his bed and smell his scent. It made her feel like she was closer to him that way.

Not bothering to turn on a light, she made her way through the apartment, straight for the bedroom. She stretched her arms up and let out a massive yawn.

As she walked into the bedroom she ran into a wall. She let out a shriek as she stumbled backward. A pair of strong hands caught her.

"Babe."

"Carlos?"

A light flicked on and she found herself staring into Ranger's beautiful brown eyes. She smiled brightly and lunged into his arms. "You're back!"

He held her tightly. "Yeah."

"That was short." She looked at him. "I thought you'd be gone longer."

"So did I." He replied kissing her. Releasing her he took stock of her outfit. He raised an eyebrow. "Were you doing a distraction tonight?"

"No."

"Babe."

She simply smiled. "If I told you, I'd have to kill you."

Ranger chuckled and brought her back to him. "I heard you told Tank something similar. Should I ask if it was a success?"

"Only if we don't see Lester before morning." Stephanie answered as she leaned up to kiss his neck and jaw.

It took a nanosecond for Ranger to get the subtle message she was sending. With a grin he picked her up and tossed her onto his bed.

/\/\/\/\/\

_"Kaylee, you read too many mysteries," Stephanie said laughing._

_ "Oh, I do not." She huffed as they sat in the library pouring over their homework._

_ "Really? I thought I detected a copy of Nancy Drew in your backpack."_

_ "Well, of course. Don't tell me you never read her growing up."_

_ "Sure," Stephanie shrugged, "When I wasn't jumping off the roof."_

_ Kaylee laughed. "What can I say? I can't help it. I love a good mystery. I always thought it might be fun to have a mystery surrounding my will when I die. You know, everyone has to find clues to figure out where the will itself is. That would be fun."_

_ "If not a little maddening for the people who want your will." Stephanie giggled…_

/\/\/\/\/\

Stephanie jerked awake in the middle of the night, "Holy shit! That's it!"

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**Please Review! It'd make my day! I promise you'll make me smile! :-D**


	35. Chapter 35

**AN: Hi everyone! I was blown away by all the reviews I got for the last chapter! :-) You guys made me so excited to get notifications for reviews! I loved seeing what all of you had to say. So, thank you, to each and every one of you. You're all amazing. And, because there was smut asked for, there was smut given :-D I hope you enjoy it and the rest of the chapter! :-)**

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**Rediscovery**

**Chapter 35**

The fire that started as a slow simmer was blazing through her body. His lips ignited something strong in her, something stronger than she had ever felt before. She couldn't resist his lips as they caressed hers, his tongue seeking entrance. Her hands clutched at his shirt, his arms held her up.

And suddenly she was pushing him away. "No."

Lester shook his head, confused. "What?"

"No." Penelope repeated, her voice a husky whisper. "I won't do this with you if you're going to walk away from me every time I get hurt."

"Pen," Lester pulled her back to him, "Not again. Never." He brought his forehead to hers and closed his eyes. "Do you know how evil Stephanie is?"

A small giggle escaped. "Yes."

"How much did you know she was doing to me?"

"She wouldn't tell me." Penelope said. "But if it's going to take her to bully you every time you don't think we should be together…"

"No." He shook his head and kissed her softly. "I won't let you go again. I need you." He whispered.

Penelope broke. A small sob escaped from her lips and she was kissing him, softly almost hesitantly. When he kissed her back, the kiss turned hungry. Their lips fused together, demanding everything from each other. her arms wrapped around his neck pulling him as close to her as she could get him. She had to have him. _Now._

"Lester." She breathed. "Take me to bed."

He lifted her, his lips meeting hers again. Her legs wrapped around his waist as he walked them back toward her room. Reaching up with one hand, he tugged on the ties that held Penelope's halter together. The moment he could, he captured one of her nipples in his mouth. Her head fell back as she gasped. His teeth bit softly at it then moved to the other. All she could do was hold on for dear life as he lavished attention on her breasts.

Expertly they fell to the bed. Lester paused on his quest and rid her of the shirt. Before he could come back down to her, her hands snaked beneath his shirt and ran along the hard ridges of his abs. He sucked in a sharp breath when she slowly dragged her nails down his stomach.

As she tugged his shirt off she leaned up and met his lips. Bracing himself on one arm, he laid her back down. In the moonlight, she could see the love he felt for her in his eyes, even if he hadn't said the words while she was awake, she could feel everything. She smiled softly at him. Lester brushed his lips across hers in a feather soft manner and slowly kissed his way down her neck.

Coming to her shoulder, he saw the scar from one of the bullets. Lester stared at it. Penelope turned her head and looked at him with a gentle expression on her face. His eyes met hers.

"If I could kiss these away, I'd do it in a heartbeat." He whispered and kissed the scar gently. It brought tears to her eyes as he moved along her body kissing the scars that adorned her from the shooting. He came to her stomach and kissed the last scar sat there. Crawling back up her body he met her lips again, his hands working the fastenings of her pants. "If I could kiss away all your pain, I would."

"Lester," She breathed as one of his hands slid into her pants. His eyes met hers when he discovered the lack of panties being worn by her. She arched an eyebrow seductively. He growled and slid a finger across her clit eliciting a gasp from her.

Before he could go farther, she turned the tables on him and flipped them so that she straddled him. Lightly she ran her fingers down his chest, watching in fascination as his breath came in shudders. Spotting the scar on his own shoulder from the bullet that had stopped him, she leaned down and whispered, "If I could kiss away your scars I would."

Then she proceeded to place butterfly kisses along his scars. The one he had taken trying to save her and the ones he had gathered over the years. She trailed down his chest, coming to the top of his cargoes. Releasing the button, she dragged the zipper down, freeing his most prized possession.

She looked up at him with a greedy glint in her eyes as she leaned down sucked in his head to her mouth. Lester growled and arched up, his hands tangling in her hair. As her mouth worked magic on him, his hips unconsciously began pumping up and down. Finally, unable to take it anymore, he pulled her up to him, flipping so he was on top of her.

"I need to be in you." He murmured and thrust deep inside. She gasped with pleasure as he moved in and out of her, drawing her to the brink.

Lester's arms moved under so his hands cupped her shoulders, and Penelope gripped his shoulders as their paces increased. Every thrust was met equally. Foreheads touching, he brushed feather light kisses across her lips, tongue slipping in sensually to caress hers lovingly.

As their climaxes neared, his pace picked up and his mouth became hungry for hers. Sweat covered their bodies as their breaths came in gasps. Penelope's scream of pleasure mixed with Lester's cry of release.

/\/\/\/\/\

Ranger, who had been in a dead sleep from loving his woman, shot out of bed reaching for his gun. He aimed around the room looking for the problem. Turning he looked at Stephanie who was giving him a wide eyed expression. "Babe."

"I'm sorry, Carlos, did I scare you?" She asked quietly. She wasn't sure what all he had seen in the past of his missions and realized that her sudden reaction could have triggered something.

"No, Babe, I wouldn't say you scared me, per se." He replied putting his gun away and coming back to bed. "What had you suddenly screaming like that?"

"I had a dream." Stephanie answered. "Something Henry said the night we were at Karaoke finally clicked. He told Pen and me that he couldn't really help us because Kaylee was always the one into the Nancy Drew stuff."

"Okay." Ranger pulled her to him and closed his eyes. Stephanie's eyes started drooping down as his hand moved in slow, soothing patterns across her back.

"And…the dream, made me realize that the envelope she left for us. It wasn't full of mementos. It was full of clues."

"What do they tell you?" He asked.

"I haven't got a clue." She giggled at her statement. "But Kaylee loved a good mystery. I'm betting everything in there was a clue of sorts. I just have to figure out what all of them mean."

"I know you'll do it, Babe."

The next morning Stephanie located Henry sitting in his cubicle. She leaned up against the side of it and smiled. "Hey, Henry."

"Hi, Steph. What can I do for you?" He asked.

Ranger came up to them and kissed Stephanie at her temple. Giving her lover a quick grin, she asked Henry, "Did you get my message?"

"Yep. Got it and delivered." Henry answered.

"Fantastic."

"If you don't mind me asking, Steph, what do you hope to gain by it?" Henry gave her his full attention. He had known her briefly, but the praise Kaylee had always heaped upon her friends when she was home for visits made him curious.

"I'm simply being a law abiding citizen." Stephanie said sweetly.

Ranger looked at her. Clearly, he had missed something while he was out. "Babe."

She sighed. "Morelli went to Sheila and Mary Lou. He got a warrant to get ahold of the first DVD Kaylee gave us."

"And you gave it to him?" Ranger raised an eyebrow. Knowing what was on the DVD, he had to admit there was a level of curiosity as to what Morelli's reaction would have been, especially seeing Stephanie bad mouthing him and praising Ranger.

"I didn't give it to him." She answered. "I wasn't lying when I said none of us had it. But he got a copy of it nonetheless."

Ranger looked back and forth between Henry and Stephanie. Henry looked at him and nodded. He couldn't help the bark of laughter that escaped from him. He hooked an arm around her neck and brought her to him and kissed her hard.

"You never disappoint, Babe."

He released and headed to his own office. He found Jace and Tank waiting for him. Jace looked stressed and Tank looked annoyed.

"Jace." Ranger acknowledged taking his place at his desk.

"Ranger, were you able to find out anything?" Jace resisted the urge to run his hands through his hair. He wasn't stressed over the case necessarily, but there were certain things that looked like they might be tying into his case that could make things get ugly.

"I found out quite a bit." He replied and for the next several hours the men were holed up going over all the information Ranger had collected.

/\/\/\/\/\

The next couple weeks proved to be tedious. Stephanie had been forced to set aside her investigation again when the Bond's Office had called her in desperate need of help getting skips in. Vinnie was on the brink of screaming bloody murder because Joyce was barely bringing any skips in. At first Stephanie had resisted and then Vinnie had played the fact that he saved her life card. It was a low blow, but it had worked.

In fact, the comment had worked so well that Ranger had accompanied Stephanie down to the bonds office and threatened Vinnie to the point that the man nearly pissed himself. Vinnie promised to never use that card again.

Lester had decided he was completely in charge of Penelope's well-being. So much so that many of the Rangemen were getting to know her as well as they knew Steph. They loved her just as much also. She could joke with the best of them, and when all the men watched Pen and Steph together they got kick out of seeing them banter. As much as he could get away with, Lester was keeping Penelope at RangeMan in his apartment, but whenever they spent the night at her condo, Ranger made sure there was someone watching the outside. Something had changed in the dynamic between them, Ranger had seen, and was making sure his cousin had extra protection.

One morning, Stephanie was sitting at the dining room table in Ranger's apartment with the contents of Kaylee's envelope spread out before her. Every inch of her Spidey Sense was tingling. She knew she was on the right track in regards to the mystery. She just had to figure out what.

The door to the apartment opened and Penelope walked in carrying a cup of coffee. She smiled lazily at Stephanie. "Ranger said I'd find you here. Why are you hiding up here instead of down on five?"

"I needed a moment to be able to go over all the things in this." She replied motioning to the items on the table. Standing she walked to the kitchen and grabbed a bottle of water from the fridge. Leaning against the counter she looked at Pen and grinned at the satisfied smile on her face. "Feeling lucky lately?"

"Feeling thoroughly lucky." Pen said continuing to grin. If anything her glow matched Steph's constant one. "Although, I'm feeling a little tender in a few areas."

"You should probably avoid fucking like rabbits." Stephanie teased.

"This from the woman who found herself locked in Ranger's office for three hours a few days ago?" Penelope raised an eyebrow at her.

"We were going over FTAs." Stephanie defended herself. Which had been true…until Ranger's hands had slid sneakily under her shirt.

"Yeah, yeah." With a dismissive wave, she motioned her head toward the mess on the table. "Any luck so far?"

"None." Stephanie admitted. "I've looked at the copies of both DVDs as well. There's nothing on the one just to us that gives any hints."

"Just that she was clearly working on something that made her think she needed to record something for us in the event of her death." Penelope shook her head. "She was never so damn secretive about her stories before. What was it about this one?"

"If we knew, we'd probably be much better off." Stephanie said sighing. "These pictures…I don't know what they're here for. All of us. It's like we said before, she caught all of us at peaks of what we were up to."

"Micah's necklace?" Pen asked holding up the four leaf clover charm.

Stephanie sat back down at the table and sighed. "Truthfully, I don't know if _that _is a clue, or just her leaving us some sort of luck."

"If she was leaving us some kind of luck, then she knew." Sitting across from Stephanie she glared at everything on the table. "I can't help but think she knew what was going to happen."

"I don't think Kaylee would have expected to get murdered for it." Steph said softly.

"Really?" Pen motioned at everything in front of them. "Explain all this. I want to know what the fuck she was working on that was so important she didn't feel her life was worth it."

"I'm sure she was devaluing her life. I think she was just taking precautions. I don't know what she was working on. We know it was something big, clearly, from the precautions she took. But she had been excited for it. She felt it was probably her best piece of writing." Stephanie sighed and rubber her eyes. "We're going to find out who did this. We're going to beat the hell out of him and then we'll give him to the cops."

"I'll make sure I find a good lawyer to prosecute." Pen grinned. "It's best if I don't do it."

"Hey, do you know what this goes to?" Stephanie asked suddenly holding up a key on a string.

Studying it for a couple moments, she shrugged and said, "It looks like it belongs to a safety deposit box. I have one. It looks similar."

"A safety deposit box." Stephanie repeated. "But…she's dead. Can we access it without her?"

"Only if we're named on it."

"Would she trust us enough to put us down for access to it?"

"It's Kaylee." Penelope said as if it were the answer.

A thought occurred to Stephanie. "Come on. We're going to go talk to Henry."

Henry was in the break room grabbing a quick lunch. Both women blocked his way out of the room. He looked at them warily. "What do you two want?"

"Henry, do you own a safety deposit box?" Stephanie asked casually.

"Yes."

"What do you keep in it?"

"Things that are important." He answered.

"Do you know if Kaylee had one?"

He gave them a surprised look. "Yeah, I pay the rent on it. I thought all of you knew. She added the four of you so you could access it."

Penelope and Stephanie shared a look with each other. Turning back to Henry, Penelope asked, "Which bank?" After he told them, they smiled, kissed him on the cheek and left the break room.

Pausing by Ranger's office, Stephanie poked her head in. "I'm taking off. I'll be gone a few hours."

"Babe?"

"Found another clue." She said with a sigh. "Hopefully."

"Trackers?"

"Got them with me, and a panic button." She grinned as he stood and came at her. "And my gun is fully loaded."

"Good." He kissed her. "Have fun. Take the Cayenne, and make sure someone is following you." Ranger knew Stephanie would appreciate the time with Penelope without the listening ears of one of his men. Plus if something happened, there were two vehicles available.

"Yes, boss." Stephanie gave him another kiss.

On the way to the bank, Penelope asked casually, "Think we'll find anything significant in it?"

"I have no idea, but what other angle do we have right now?"

"I grabbed the pictures." Penelope pulled them out of her pocket. She flipped through them. "I'm with you. I can't see what Kaylee was trying to say to us. All I see are us, doing things we did in college."

"I know, but I _know_ there is something in those photos. I get the feeling if I can figure out one of them, I can pinpoint the rest of them." Stephanie said with a small sigh.

"I wonder what you're supposed to figure out with the picture of you flirting with two men." Penelope said looking at the pictures.

"That I was a wild woman?" Stephanie said with a casual laugh.

"Hm. Maybe."

The rest of the drive was made in silence, both women focused on their own thoughts. Thoughts that were full of Kaylee and what she was trying to get through to them. Penelope kept flipping through the pictures trying to figure out what Kaylee was indicating to them.

Stephanie realized that Henry had inadvertently given information away. She knew where the first DVD had gone, because she had made sure none of the girls had it. When she had sent it to Henry, it was due to the fact that she knew he would put it some place none of them would have expected. Now she was betting it was sitting in his own safety deposit box.

"Hey," Pen said looking over at her, "Did you really give Morelli the DVD?"

"He was emailed a copy of it."

"What made you do it?"

"He had a warrant."

"Steph, I know you. You would have told him to fuck off until he had you arrested for interfering."

Stephanie was silent for a couple minutes. "I have no idea what Carlos is planning for Morelli. I know he's good and pissed that Morelli stooped low enough to impersonate him and trick me into marrying him. But, I decided that he should see where my emotions have always been."

"Even though you were drunk?"

"But Kaylee wasn't wrong." She said. "I feel tingles every time Carlos is in the same room as I am. I can feel him before I see him. I feel it when he touches me, or kisses me. Knowing those feelings had been there nine years ago? It says a lot."

"And Morelli would have seen that he didn't stand a chance even then." Penelope surmised.

"Right. Not that I think we've heard the last of him yet, but it'll shut him up for a bit." Stephanie said. "Here we are."

They pulled into the parking lot of the bank and got out. Stephanie turned and waved at Cal who had followed them. He waved in return. When they went in they talked to one of the bankers who directed them to the branch manager. Signing in they were both lead to the back where the safety deposit was held.

"I'll just leave you alone for a moment." The manager told them and left the room.

Nerves were jumping around under Steph's skin. She wanted to know what was in the box, desperately, but at the same time, she was scared at what she could find. It was nerve wracking.

"Ready?" Pen murmured.

"Yeah." Stephanie nodded and put the key into the lock.

* * *

**I'm not familiar with the way safety deposit boxes work, I looked up a bit online and based off what they told me, multiple people could have access to one. I took some liberties, I'm sure. **

**Please review! :-)**


	36. Chapter 36

**AN: Hi everyone! So sorry for the delay in updates. Things got a little crazy, but in a good way :-D I want to thank everyone who has reviewed, y'all are amazing and wonderful. I took a little liberties with the safety deposit boxes in the last chapter and in this one. Hope you guys like this chapter as well! :-)**

**Disclaimer: I don't own them, I just play with them!**

* * *

**Rediscovery**

**Chapter 36**

Stephanie and Penelope stared inside the box. For a while neither of them could speak. They were stuck in a stunned silence. Finally, Penelope grumbled, "I'm gonna kill her."

"I hate to say this," Stephanie said, "but someone already did."

"Over _this?_" Penelope hissed, motioning toward the safety deposit box.

With a sigh, Stephanie reached into the box and lifted out a chain. At the end of the chain was a key. "Well…maybe it unlocks something in the White House?"

"Really?" Penelope crossed her arms and glared at Stephanie. "Then _why _would they kill her before getting it back?"

"I'm grasping at straws here." Stephanie retorted.

"What the hell does it go to?"

"If we knew that, would we be here arguing over what it goes to?"

Giving off a noise that sounded suspiciously like a growl, Penelope turned and marched out of the room. Pocketing the key, Stephanie put the box back in place and locked it back up.

Penelope drove them back to Trenton. The ride was in silence and Stephanie found herself staring at the photos that they had brought with them. It was ticking in the back of her mind that she should know their significance, but she just could not figure out what they were.

Currently she was staring at the picture of all of them at the cliff they had jumped off. "You know…" Stephanie said slowly, "I can't figure out what the rest of these pictures are for, but I'm betting anything, whatever this key goes to is out at the beach house."

"You think so?" Penelope glanced at it. "I've got a key to the house. Want to head out there?"

Before she could answer, her phone rang. "Yo."

"Babe."

"Batman." She smiled.

"Up for a distraction job?"

"What time?"

"Seven."

"Yeah, I'll be home in time to get ready—"

"In the morning."

"What?" Stephanie blinked in surprise. "What do you mean, seven in the morning?"

"Unusual situation in this case, Babe. I'll explain everything tonight." He said and hung up.

"Um, no, we can't go today." Stephanie told Penelope after giving her phone a glare for Ranger's phone etiquette. "I have a distraction job in the morning."

"Is that the norm?"

"No, usually it's at night." She replied. "But, assuming it doesn't take long, we can go right after. We should have plenty of time to dig around the house, and if it gets too later, we'll just crash there for the night."

"Okay, that sounds good."

/\/\/\/\/\

When Stephanie arrived back at Rangeman she headed to Ranger's office and poked her head in. "Hi. I'm back."

"How was your trip?" Ranger asked leaning back in his chair to look at her.

She sighed and pulled the key out of her pocket. Holding the chain it swung back and forth as she walked over and perched on the edge of his desk.

"I'd like to say rewarding, but I think Kaylee had a little too much fun when it came to the idea of a mystery shrouding her death."

"Babe?"

"I have no idea what this damn thing goes to, I can't figure out what the hell those pictures mean, and I'd kind of like to shoot Kaylee."

"Babe."

"Sorry." She closed her eyes and took a deep breath. "It's frustrating because I feel like I should know the answer. Like it's ticking away in the back of my head. I just can't seem to get everything to click together so I can figure it out. The only consolation to this whole thing is that I'm a half step ahead of Morelli." Rolling her shoulders and head, she felt her neck pop. Opening her eyes she looked at Ranger. "So tell me about this skip we're going after at god-awful-am."

"Seven am is hardly god awful, Babe. I'm up at five."

"Only because you're in dire need of learning how to sleep later." She teased with a grin and leaned forward to kiss him.

After the kiss, he pulled her forward so she was sitting in his lap. Wrapping his arms around her he nuzzled her neck. "We're going after Phil Grayson. He's out on three hundred thousand. He is usually found in the mornings at a breakfast bar. We haven't been able to get to him at his apartment. He keeps himself pretty locked up."

"What does he like?" Stephanie asked, her eyes half closing at the feel of his lips brushing her pulse point in the softest kiss possible.

"Short skirts, tank tops with a bit of cleavage." Ranger answered, his hands slipping beneath her shirt to touch her skin.

"Mmkay." Turning her head, she caught his lips with hers. The kiss deepened, bringing moans from both of them.

Before the idea of christening Ranger's office (and they were both already thinking about that) could be put into any kind of action, the door slammed open and Tank and Lester walked in.

"Sorry to interrupt, Boss," Tank said with a look that said he was clearly not sorry he interrupted. Normally, he would have left and come back later, but the look on his face told Stephanie something big was up.

She looked at Lester. "Hey, Les. Feeling better these days?" She couldn't help the grin that came to her face.

A smirk came to Lester's. "Don't worry, Plum, you'll get yours."

"Yeah, yeah." She waved a hand dismissively. "You're all talk."

"Children." Tank said mildly.

"I'm going to the basement." Stephanie gave Ranger a quick kiss. "I need to clear my head."

"I'll have Ella bring dinner up at seven." He told her releasing her.

"Sounds good. See you then, Batman." She bounced out of the office.

He shook his head and turned back to his men. They got down to work and spent the next few hours going over everything they were gathering for Jace and making sure everything was in place for the morning's distraction job.

When Ranger made up to seven, he didn't see Stephanie in sight, nor did he hear her in the shower. This could only mean that she was still downstairs working out trying to figure everything out. Ella had left dinner on the table, covered to help keep things warm. Knowing Stephanie was going to be hungry he left to get her.

He grinned as he headed out of the apartment and down to the basement. He knew he could watch Stephanie for hours when it came to her gymnastics. The fluidity in which she moved was absolutely beautiful. He could never get enough of it. It was his own turn on watching her.

The elevator opened and he fobbed his way into Steph's gym. He was greeted by the blasting of Garbage's "Why Do You Love Me?" He could see Stephanie doing back flips across the mat. Sweat was covering her and from where he was standing her could see the focus on her face. It was as if she had fallen away from the rest of the world and there was nothing there but her and that mat.

Deciding to wait until she saw him, he made himself comfortable leaning against a wall, watching her continue to move. It only took about twenty minutes for her to notice him. She finished her line of flips, then walked over to him. He picked up her bottle of water and held it out to her. With a smile of thanks, she began drinking it.

"Get anything worked out?"

Stephanie shook her head, her eyes twinkling at him as she drank the water. "No. And since you got me really worked up in your office, I'm still feeling wired."

He pulled her close and kissed her. "Playing with fire, Babe."

"Burn me, Carlos." She whispered in his ear.

/\/\/\/\/\

The alarm went off waking both of them. Stephanie stretched against Ranger, feeling his morning wood pressed against her butt. She smiled and moaned slightly. She could feel his growl against her back.

"Good morning, Carlos." She murmured.

"Babe…" He sounded exhausted.

Stephanie couldn't hide the smug look on her face when she looked over her shoulder at him. Last night he had dragged them upstairs as fast as he could. She had tried to get him to wait long enough for her to shower, but he simply took them both to the shower and made love to her there. And at the dining room table when she claimed hunger. And up against a wall when he decided waiting to get to them to the bedroom was just a little overrated.

Eventually, they had made it to the bed where they hadn't left and had fallen asleep about ten minutes ago.

She was feeling energized herself, but from the look on his face, he could definitely benefit from a day of sleeping in. "Poor Batman. Exhausted by little old me!" She reached up to peck his cheek but found herself pinned beneath him instead.

"Carlos!" She laughed. "We have to get up."

"No." He nibbled on her neck. "I think this morning would be a great morning for you to educate me on the sleeping in part."

"You have meetings later." She gasped as his hand slipped between her legs.

"I can cancel." He moved again.

"Carlos…." Stephanie moaned, "Oh, god…we….can't…." She spoke between pants. "Distraction, remember?"

"Damn." He growled against her throat. He was settled between her legs. She lifted one of her legs to wrap around his waist. He slid into her. "Then we'd better not waist any more time."

By the time they emerged in the parking garage, they were both sporting very satisfied looks. Stephanie had a duffle bag over her shoulder. Penelope was going to pick her up from the breakfast bar and she was going to change into her jeans and sneakers on the way to the beach house.

"Watch out with Pen," Lester said as they rode over to their destination. "For some reason she's been real moody."

"Maybe you're just not doing your job to the best of your abilities," Stephanie teased.

"Oh, don't worry, Pen is very satisfied when I get done with her." Lester shot back. "Just last night I did this thing where—"

"Stop." Stephanie held her hand up. "That is more than enough."

"What? You don't want to hear about your friend's sexcapades?" He asked. "After all, you two had quite the rep back in the day."

"I don't need to hear about them again." Stephanie retorted.

"Alright children. Enough bickering." Tank laughed. "We're here. Everyone ready to go?"

Stephanie nodded, and got out of the SUV, and strutted herself into the breakfast bar. Ranger had put a wire on her before they left the apartment, which had resulted in an attempt to behave on their part.

She sat at the end of the bar and smiled at Woody who was manning the counter. She'd have to ask him later if he really knew how to cook or not.

Before long the skip was sidling up to her. Apparently he enjoyed his orange juice with a little bit of a kick to them. Luck was on her side since Woody made sure hers was just orange juice. It didn't take much to convince him that a good morning walk would be a great way to work up a good "appetite." He all but followed her out like puppy on a leash.

"Phil Grayson, you're in violation of your bond agreement." Tank's voice boomed out. Before Grayson had a chance to react, Tank and Lester had him cuffed and in the back of an awaiting SUV. Penelope was waiting beside her car. She looked Stephanie up and down and grinned.

"Nice outfit, Plum. Didn't you have one like it in college?"

Stephanie glanced down. "Nah, the skirt was shorter in college."

"Babe." Ranger raised an eyebrow.

"What? It was." She stood on her tiptoes and whispered in his ear, "Don't worry, I'd only wear it for you."

"Damn straight." He muttered in her ear. He kissed her. "Trackers?"

"Yep!" She patted her purse. He handed her the duffle bag. "See you later, Batman."

Ranger pulled her close and held her tightly. He kissed her hard. "Be careful, babe."

"I will. I love you, Carlos." She said softly.

"Love you too, Babe."

Stephanie turned toward Penelope who was locked in a tongue war with Lester. All the Rangemen looked at one another and shook their heads. Stephanie cleared her throat. "Unless you two plan to give us all a show, we have to get going."

"Alright. Alright." Penelope shot her a glare.

Both men gave their respective girls another kiss, and they all went their separate ways. The moment they were away from prying eyes, Stephanie sat in the front seat shimmying out of her skirt and into a pair of jeans.

As she tied her shoes, Penelope motioned behind her. "I brought my laptop. I thought we might look up some of the buildings in the pictures. I noticed last night that we're all in or near a building."

"You think they're significant?" Steph asked reaching back to grab the laptop.

Penelope shrugged. "Every little detail could be important."

Booting it up, Stephanie took the pictures out of her duffle bag and looked at them. Pen was right. All of them were near or around certain buildings. Picking up the one of Kaylee she studied it. She was in front of the library at school.

"Why would the school library be important?" She wondered out loud.

"Who knows? Did someone donate it?"

"If I'm reading the picture right, it's the Lacey Whittaker Library." Stephanie replied, then turned her attention to the laptop and began looking up the library. "Okay, Lacey, what's your story?"

She sat reading for a few moments before her jaw dropped. "Oh fuck."

"What?"

"Shit."

"What?"

"I don't believe this."

"_What?_"

"Son of—"

"PLUM!" Penelope yelled to get her attention. "What the hell is your problem?"

"Sorry." She shook her head. "Lacey Whittaker loved to read, and was an avid supporter of education. She did everything she could to support every students learning. Especially if they went to college to push themselves farther. She donated a large portion of her fortune to the college wanting students to have a good library, much to the chagrin of her husband….Paul Kazarra."

Penelope was so surprised she swerved slightly. A car near them honked loudly. She waved an apology and looked over at Stephanie. "Are you serious?"

"Do I sound like I'm joking?"

"Kazarra? Why would…wait…look at the other buildings. Maybe it's just a funny coincidence."

Stephanie's spidey sense had hit overdrive after seeing that article. Somehow she knew that the Kazarras' were involved whether they wanted them to be or not. Sure enough, as she looked up all the other buildings, they were all owned by the Kazarra family. No doubt to prove they had a legitimate business, Stephanie surmised then shared her thoughts with Penelope.

"Makes sense." Penelope murmured. "It helps cover what they're doing illegally to make money."

"What on earth would bring Kaylee's attention to the Kazarras?" Stephanie wondered. "Dwayne Kazarra didn't even go to that college, despite his grandmother's hefty donation."

"I don't know but, I'm willing to bet they had something to do with her death." Penelope said.

"Do you think we should go back and talk to Ranger and Lester?" Stephanie asked quietly.

"Do you want to?"

She thought for a moment. On one hand, yes, she did want to go talk to them before jumping the gun and going after someone who might not actually have anything to do with Kaylee's death. On the other, they could be completely wrong.

"No." Stephanie shook her head. "No. We're going to go to the beach house. We're over half way there already. I hope Sheila doesn't mind if we tear up the house a bit….wait. Wait." Stephanie flipped through the pictures and picked the one of the five of them up again. "Whatever she hid, she didn't hide it in the house."

"What makes you say that?"

"Because she would have taken a picture of the house." Stephanie held up the photo. "She used a photo of us in a place we all loved jumping off."

"Where would she have hidden it up there? And how would it have stayed for nine years?"

"She'd bury it." Stephanie answered.

"How do you know?"

"Because our dear friend Kaylee loved her Nancy Drews." Stephanie couldn't help but smile when Penelope groaned.

When they arrived at the house, they disabled the alarm and went into the garage to find a shovel. Penelope was surprised at Stephanie's deduction of where she assumed Kaylee would have hidden whatever it was she had hidden. Lester had told her one night that Stephanie had some wicked skills when it came to deducing things.

She had a feeling Lester was right.

The women climbed up the familiar slope to the ledge they had jumped off so many times before. It was a bittersweet moment as they took in the view before turning back to the task at hand.

Penelope grimaced and rubbed her stomach a little bit. Steph noticed. "Are you okay?"

"Yeah, yeah. My stomach is just a little upset. I'll be fine." She replied. "Now, how do we go about figuring out where she would have buried this lovely little mystery."

"I guess look around and see if anything strikes you differently." Stephanie replied.

"That's helpful."

"Well, what more do you want?"

"Five minutes alone with Kaylee to shake her for her love of mysteries." Penelope growled.

Stephanie raised her eyebrows but kept quiet. Lester was right. Penelope was being a smidge cranky. She would just ignore her and get to work searching for something different.

"Hey, Steph," Penelope called nearly thirty minutes later. "I think I have something."

She walked over to a tree Penelope was staring at. "What is it?"

"Look." Penelope motioned to the tree. "In a classic gesture of love, There are two sets of initials carved together in a heart."

Stephanie looked at carving. The initials belonged to Kaylee and Micah.

"Do you think it's here?"

"What do we have to lose?" Penelope asked. "It's not like the owners will get mad at us for digging a hole in their land."

"No, Sheila will just make us fill it back in."

"Exactly."

Stephanie rolled her eyes and began digging. After a couple feet of digging she hit something. They looked at each other and knelt down. Together they finished digging out a box that had a lock on it.

"I think we found what the key goes to." Penelope said.

"Good thing I brought it." Stephanie grinned and pulled it out of her pocket.

With a shaking hand, she turned the lock on the box. They both let out a breath when they heard the release of the catch inside. Lifting the lid, they looked at everything inside the box. Their eyes widened.

"Shit, Kaylee, what did you stumble into?" Penelope murmured.

The box contained photos of the Kazarras. Everything illegal operation the Kazarras were involved in. From what they could tell, Kaylee had gotten really good at following them and keeping herself hidden. At the bottom of the box was a report stapled together.

Penelope pulled out the report and together she and Stephanie read it. "Damn," Steph whispered. "She found a way to get every dirty little thing they'd done. She was going to expose them like no one had ever exposed them." Tears filled her eyes. "I know she's gone, but I'm pretty damn proud of her for being able to do all this."

"You and me both." Penelope said.

They were both so engrossed in what they were looking at that they never heard anyone approach, but at the sound of a gun cocking, they whirled around. Both their eyes widened.

"Micah."

/\/\/\/\/\

Ranger sat across from Grayson and glared at him. "You can tell us what you know, or we can do this the hard way."

Grayson shook his head. "Dunno what you're talking about."

In a swift movement, Ranger knocked him backward and hit him a few times. "I'm talking about the work you're doing for the Kazarra's. You talk to us and you might live."

Grayson just shook his head again. Before Ranger could say or do anything else, Tank walked in. "Ranger, Lenny is here to see you."

"I'm a little busy."

"Jace is here too."

Ranger swore under his breath and walked out of the interrogation room and headed up stairs where he found both men waiting for him in his office.

"Ranger, have you seen Mary Lou?" Lenny demanded, a look of desperation in the man's eyes.

"No." Ranger shook his head. "What's the problem.

"I got a call from one of my neighbors. My front door was hanging wide open and when I got home, the place was a mess. Mary Lou never lets it get messy, even if she's teaching classes."

"Sheila is missing too." Jace said. "She never showed up at the community center and I haven't been able to get ahold of her on her cell."

Normally Ranger would have considered the fact that they were friends and they were probably just shopping, but based off the fact that he could see it was taking everything Jace had to not rip something, or someone, apart and that Lenny had never looked more frazzled, he knew things were much more complicated.

"What do you think?" Tank asked Ranger.

"I think we need to get Penelope and Stephanie back to RangeMan immediately." Ranger said.

* * *

**Please Review! They make me happy, and give me more motivation to keep going!**


	37. Chapter 37

**AN: Hi everyone! How's your week starting out? Good I hope! Everyone who reviewed the last chapter, thank you so much! Your reviews were absolutely wonderful! I loved them all :-) I am not sure what any of you will think of this chapter, but I enjoy the way it ended, lol. **

**Disclaimer: I don't own them, I just play with them!**

* * *

**Rediscovery**

**Chapter 37**

Ranger threw his phone across the office in anger. He hadn't been able to get ahold of Stephanie for the last six hours. Cal and Ram had been the two Rangemen closest to the beach house so he'd sent them to get Stephanie and Penelope. Five minutes ago, Ram had called and told him that neither woman was there, but Penelope's vehicle was, along with their purses and cell phones.

And now they were gone and they had no way to track the two of them and find them. Fuck, he thought angrily. With the Feds case dealing with the Kazarras and now his woman was missing…he couldn't help the nagging thought that there must be a connection. It would make sense, he realized. The Kazarras had been trying to get Penelope to cooperate with them, but she'd refused. The only thing he could rationalize was they had gone after Penelope but Stephanie had been with her so she had been taken as well…but what about Sheila and Mary Lou?

He let out a dangerous growl and ran his hands over his face. This whole thing was fucked up. Jace and Lenny were doing the best they could. Lenny had gone to get his boys from school and leave them with his mother. The weekend was coming and he'd convinced her that it was for the best, without revealing information that Mary Lou was missing. The Burg Gossipers would have a field day. Ranger knew they would start whispering that Mary Lou had suddenly run off on her family.

They would have to get the Trenton PD involved if the women were gone for more than twenty four hours. And Ranger suspected they would damn well be gone longer than that. The anger that coursed through him made his blood boil. He was getting twitchy with a need to do something.

A glance on his computer monitor showed the camera in the gym. Jace was down there beating the shit out of one of the punching bags. Jace had the right idea, Ranger decided. Leaving his office he went down to the gym and called the first person he saw to the mats.

Hal looked nervously at Ranger as he slowly made his way over to the mats. Having been updated on the situation, he knew his boss was going to be a forced to be reckoned with right now.

"I'll do it." Lester said passing him. He was in the same mood his cousin was, so he knew they could both use the outlet.

He moved onto the mat, stripped off his shirt and shoes. Lester and Ranger began circling each other. Then attacked.

Those who were in gym, Jace included, stopped their own workout and watched the cousins wrestle. This was different from all the times they had seen Ranger wipe the floor with Lester. This was two men who were at a loss of what to do to find the women they loved. There was an aggression in their movements that was normally not there. No one would think of stepping in to disrupt them right now. They would all sit back and allow the two men to work things out.

So it went for an hour, watching the two of them go round and round each other. Sweat was dripping off them, but neither of them stopped. They continued moving, unyielding.

And then Tank stepped into the gym. Normally he would let things continue until Ranger and Lester wore themselves out or Ranger got tired and just finished the sparring match. But right now he couldn't let that keep going.

"Boss." His voice boomed so loud everyone, including Ranger and Lester, jumped at the sound of it. Ranger shot him a blank look. "Morelli is here. Wants to see you now."

"Is that right?"

Ranger's voice sounded deadly. Tank almost changed his mind about letting Ranger out of here, but changed his mind. Ranger was out for blood and while he wasn't having much luck with his cousin, he was betting he'd rip Morelli a new one, and he was not going to stop him.

"Put him in the conference room until I'm ready." Ranger ordered, walking off to the locker room.

"Tank, are you sure this is a good idea?" Jace asked walking up to him.

"No, I think it's a bad idea," Tank shrugged, "But I think Morelli is also overdue for a reality check."

Jace nodded. "You have a spare office I can use? I'm going to call my superiors. They need to know what else is going on in this case. I want to make sure we have jurisdiction so Trenton PD doesn't cause problems."

"Think they might?" Lester asked as he caught up to them. Together the three of them walked out.

"I think they'll cause problems if Morelli is involved." Jace said. "Based off his and Steph's history, I wouldn't put it past him to try something stupid."

"Just give Ranger a few minutes alone with him." Tank said. "Then we'll see what's going to happen."

/\/\/\/\/\

Morelli stalked around the conference room like a caged tiger. He hated the fact that he'd been waiting on Manoso for nearly an hour. Whatever the bastard was up to he was sure it had something to do with Stephanie. The idea of them being up on the seventh floor made him growl with anger. Son of a bitch had never had a right to get involved with her. She was always his, no matter what she said on that DVD.

When Ranger finally walked into the conference room, he coolly assessed Morelli. The beast inside him was lurking close to the surface, ready to strike out at anyone that provoked him. Unlucky for Morelli, his specialty was always provoking Ranger.

"I need to speak to Stephanie in regards to her friend's murder." Morelli wasted no time getting to business. "And it needs to be done in private."

Like hell it would, Ranger thought. "Stephanie isn't here right now."

"You're a fucking liar." Morelli said. "I could have you arrested for interfering with a police investigation."

Ranger's eyes turned deadly. "Please do. Then you'll find yourself sitting on charges of fraud."

"I don't know what you're talking about." Morelli said, though a trickle of sweat slid down his back.

"I think you do, Morelli." Ranger's voice turned exceptionally soft. "I have to admit, I never thought you a stupid man. Being a detective you'd have to be smart, but you certainly weren't smart when you tricked Stephanie into marrying you."

"I told you Manoso, we are legally married—"

Ranger moved so quickly that Tank and Lester burst into the conference room, ready to yank him off Morelli if they had to. Ranger had him dangling off the floor against a wall, "You made her believe she was marrying _me_. If anything all you did was prove where her true feelings lie. Even drunk she wouldn't marry you. You had to make her believe she was marrying the man she wanted. Even in a drunken state, you didn't stand a chance with her." He gave a small, unfriendly grin, "In fact I'd say you've seen a certain DVD that showed even nine years ago you didn't have a chance with her."

He dropped Morelli and took a few steps back. "Get out of my building Morelli, and focus on your job. Stephanie isn't here. And if I were you, I'd be very wary of my surroundings."

"Are you threatening me?" Morelli demanded.

"Why would I do that?" Ranger raised an eyebrow. "You're an officer of the law. Knowing your surroundings is pretty vital to your wellbeing isn't it?"

The two men glared at each other before Morelli turned and left the conference room. The moment the door shut, Lester turned and looked at Ranger, "What do you plan to do to him, Ranger?"

"Right now, let him sweat." Ranger replied. "I've got more important things to do." _Like find Stephanie, _he thought. "Any news?"

"Actually." Tank cleared his throat. "Ram and Cal did some more investigating out there, and they're bringing back some pretty interesting information that we might need to take a look at. From what they can tell, this is going to become one deadly little game."

/\/\/\/\/\

Stephanie and Penelope glared at the back of their captors heads as they were lead out of the van and into a dank basement. Micah was walking in front of them. Their wrists were bound in front of them. They walked down the steps and looked around. There were at least a dozen cells in the basement.

Stephanie looked around confused. This was an odd basement. At the far end of the large room was a cell with two women in it already. She gasped. "Mary Lou! Sheila!"

"Good." One of them grunted as he shoved Stephanie forward. "Someone to keep you two busy for a few days til we get you gone."

Penelope glared over her shoulder at him. "Get us gone where?"

"Shut up and walk." The other man ordered.

Stephanie shot a look at Micah. She couldn't resist it any longer. "Kaylee would be so disappointed in you, Micah. You used to be a good man, and look at what you've become. You're barely better than dirt."

They reached the cell and Micah grabbed one of her arms yanking her close to him. "You haven't got a clue what you're talking about."

"I know Kaylee loved you and if she saw you acting like this her heart would break." She snapped. He growled and yanked off the binds on her wrist before shoving her into the cell with Mary Lou and Sheila.

Penelope came stumbling in after. The cell door slammed shut and the men walked out of the basement, shutting them into a dim lighting.

"Are you two okay?" Mary Lou stood and came to them.

"Yeah." Penelope sighed.

"Where did they find you?" Sheila asked.

"Beach house." Stephanie answered. "They must have followed us." She shook her head in disappointment to herself and tried looking for a way out of the cell. There really wasn't any way out. Not without one of Ranger's really bad ass lock picking kits. There was no window they could get to. It was beside the door, and let in little light, which told them that it was late evening.

With a frustrated kick at one of the bars of the cell, she turned and sat down against a wall. Fuck, this was not how the day was supposed to end, she thought. They were going to go back to Trenton in triumph, show Ranger what they'd found and work out a way to bring the Kazarra's down.

Closing her eyes, she wrapped her arms around herself to ward off the cold chill in the basement. Something poked her uncomfortably in her side. She shifted, but the poking became more insistent.

Hang on.

Stephanie's eyes flew open.

_The wire._

Ranger had forgotten to take the wire off her after the takedown. She had turned it off once they'd gotten their skip, but had been in such a rush for her and Penelope to get going, she hadn't thought to take it off either.

If luck was on her side, she could get it on and maybe the guys would figure out where they were.

She shifted one of her hands under her shirt, feeling for the switch. Finding it she flicked it on with a small note of triumph.

/\/\/\/\/\

Hal looked around the control room as an unfamiliar noise filled the air. Then he heard, _"Stephanie, what are you doing?"_

Complete shock hit him when he heard Stephanie's voice, _"Sending an SOS hopefully."_

Acting fast, Hal hit the call button on his phone for Ranger. "Boss, get to the control room. NOW!"

Ranger, Tank and Lester both came into room at the same moment. "Report!" Ranger barked, in no mood to deal with anything that took him from finding Stephanie.

Hal held up a finger to his lips. Before Ranger could growl, Sheila's voice came overhead, _"Penelope are you alright? You're looking queasy."_

_"Yeah, I just haven't been feeling well the last few days."_

_ "Stephanie, why are you just sitting there? Didn't Ranger teach you how to pick a lock?" _Mary Lou demanded.

_"Yes…but the kit is in my purse, which is at the beach house. Oh, you'll never guess what we found this morning," _Stephanie said, _"I think Kaylee was murdered by the Kazarras."_

Everyone in the control room and in the cell let out some form of gasp. Sheila's voice came up, _"Are you sure?"_

_ "Yeah," _Penelope sounded tired over the wire, _"She locked it all away in a chest and buried it."_

_ "Like treasure." _Stephanie let out a frustrated sigh, _"That girl. When I die, I'm going to find her and shake her."_

_ "Do you think that's why we're here?"_ Mary Lou asked quietly. _"Did they figure out you were close to solving Kaylee's murder?"_

_ "How would they know Steph was looking into it?" _Sheila asked.

_ "Micah." _Stephanie said softly, _"I'm betting Micah had something to do with it, but I just don't get why. He wanted me to find out who did it. Why would he rat us out to the Kazarras?"_

_ "Maybe he didn't know it was the Kazarras?"_

_ "I didn't exactly keep him apprised of anything."_

Sheila started talking, _"I have a hard time believing it was Micah—"_

_ "You saw him lead us down here!"_

_ "I know, but Steph, you weren't there when he was told Kaylee had been killed. I've never seen a man so broken."_

_ "A broken man can be led to do anything." _Penelope said, her voice sounding a little strained.

Stephanie let out a deep sigh. _"Damn, I should've listened to Carlos this morning."_

_ "Why?"_

_ "Because he wanted to stay in bed and practice sleeping in," _She replied momentarily forgetting she was wired and that it was playing for everyone in the control room to hear, _"And I told him we had to do the takedown this morning."_

_ "Wait…_you _were the voice of reason?" _Mary Lou sounded surprised.

_"Apparently."_

_ "Shit, Steph, next time he suggests staying in bed all morning, take him up on it." _Sheila sounded exasperated.

_"Don't worry; I'll leave the voice of reason all to him, once we get out of this—Pen? Are you sure you're okay? You don't look so hot."_

_ "Yeah, yeah." _Penelope sounded more strained, _"My stomach…just…"_

The control room was filled with the sound of retching. All the men swallowed uncomfortably. When the noise subsided, Sheila asked, _"What are your symptoms?"_

_ "Wait!" _Stephanie ordered, _"Wait five minutes."_

_ "What? Plum, are you insane?"_

_ "No. Just wait five minutes." _

"Brown!" Ranger ordered Tank. "Get Brown in here immediately!" Tank, realizing what Stephanie had done, whipped out his phone and heard Ranger murmur, "Proud of you, Babe."

"Brown." Bobby answered.

"Control room, now." Tank replied.

Moments later, Bobby was in the control room. "What's going on?"

"It seems that Steph forgot to take off her wire this morning, which has worked in our favor." Lester said with a grin, "But Pen isn't feeling so good. Steph got her to wait a moment before giving her symptoms. This way, you'll know what to take with us when we go get them."

Bobby nodded. "Way to go, Steph!"

They all waited in silence for a few more moments. Then Stephanie said softly, _"Okay, Pen, what're your symptoms?"_

_ "Plum, you're absolutely insane, did you know that?"_

_ "Well, no one could ever accuse me of being sane," _Stephanie said cheekily, _"What are your symptoms? Do you have the flu?"_

_ "I have never had the flu."_

_ "First time for everything." _

A noise, sounding suspiciously like a growl, came from Penelope, _"Fine. It's just been an upset stomach. Usually mornings, but it's gone by the middle of the day. Then I'm fine for the most part."_

_ "Wait," _Mary Lou interrupted, _"Aren't you usually with Lester? How has he not noticed you being sick and hauled your ass to the doctor?"_

_ "He's usually gone by the time I start getting sick. I was planning on going to the doctor in a couple days." _

_ "More symptoms." _Stephanie ordered.

_"You're bossy." _Penelope retorted, _"Um... weirdly… I've been craving a lot of sex. Not that Lester's complaining of course."_

_ "How do you crave more sex than normal?" _Sheila sounded bemused.

_"Usually I can contain myself," _Penelope said, _"Okay, the other day, Lester was on stakeout...and I just couldn't handle the need for sex and I called him."_

_ "You had phone sex with Lester while he was on a stakeout?"_

_ "Um. Sort of. Rather, he left early because I left him with one very large problem and he said he had to teach me a lesson—which by the way, was a great lesson."_

Ranger looked at Lester, "Mats for a month."

"It was worth it." Lester grinned.

Tank and Bobby coughed to cover their laughs. They were all startled by a shriek of surprise.

_"Fuck, Mary Lou! What did you do that for?"_

_ "Your breasts are more sensitive than usual."_

_ "So you had to grab them?"_

Mary Lou took a deep breath, _"Honey, you're not sick."_

Bobby said at the same time, "I don't think she's sick."

_"Well, what the hell am I then?"_

"**Pregnant.**" Bobby and Mary Lou both said.

* * *

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	38. Chapter 38

**AN: WOW! The feedback I got on the last chapter was overwhelming! All of you are so wonderful! I love hearing from everyone :-) You guys inspired me to get this chapter up as soon as I could! Thank you so much for all of your encouragement and reviews! So, without further ado, the next chapter!**

**Disclaimer: Don't own, just play!**

* * *

**Rediscovery**

**Chapter 38**

Tank and Ranger caught Lester as he staggered. Hal pushed one of the chairs over to them. The look of shock on Lester's face was evident for all to see. Internally, he felt a swell of love and pride burst in his chest at the idea of Penelope carrying his child, but it warred with the beast that wanted to find her and protect them. He let out a noise that sounded suspiciously like a growl and barely caught Penelope's next words.

_"Pregnant? What do you mean I'm pregnant?" _Her voice sounded panicked.

_"Yes, you know, Bun in the oven. With Child, expecting…" _Mary Lou's voice trailed off. _"Hey don't glare at me!"_

_"Yeah, Pen, it's hardly Mare's fault you've got a visit coming from the stork," _Stephanie snickered.

"_Oh, geeze…how the fuck did this happen?"_ Penelope groaned.

_"Well," _Sheila started, sounding completely entertained by the situation, "_When two people really love each over and they want to share that love—"_

_ "—or in their case, were extremely horny," _Stephanie supplied.

_"I hate both of you." _

"_Yeah, yeah, all talk, Thayer," _Stephanie chuckled.

Silence fell over the control for several minutes. The men stood, unwavering, unwilling to leave for any moment for fear of hearing something that could have vital information that would help them get the women.

_"Hey, guys, did you notice anything when you were taken?" _Stephanie finally asked.

_"No," _Mary Lou answered, "_It just happened so fast. I saw the boys off to school and maybe ten minutes later, my front and back door were being broken down and in came these guys with guns. They weren't very big men. Kind of scrawny, especially compared to any of Ranger's men."_

_ "Mary Lou, most men are considered scrawny compared to Ranger's men." _Stephanie said with affection in her voice.

_"I was drugged." _Sheila said, "_My guess is chloroform. All I remember is walking into the art studio at the community center. Next thing I know, I'm here with Mary Lou hovering over me. What about you two?"_

_ "We were taken from the beach house. Whoever has us, if it is the Kazarras, knew to follow us." _Stephanie sounded frustrated, "_We got shoved into a van. Coming from the beach house to anywhere would take a few hours. I couldn't even see out a window."_

The men could hear a door slam open and the women fell silent. The sound of a whimpering woman came to their ears, causing all the men to become rigid with apprehension. They could hear the painful creak of a cell door opening and slamming. There was cruel laughter that faded away as a door slammed.

Nothing was said or heard, save for the whimpering of the woman. A loud noise was coming through, which told Ranger Stephanie was probably moving. _"Hey, are you okay?"_

Before any answer could be given the door slammed open. _"So you have new stock in, yes?" _Came a heavily accented voice.

_"Of course," _There was a collective hiss around the room at the recognition of Everett Kazarra's voice. _"What do you think?"_

_"I think they are lovely." _The anonymous man said after a few minutes. _"You have other buyers of course."_

_"Such is the way of business." _Everett said smoothly.

_"And they will be instructed?"_

_"Of course. Come, now that you've seen them, let us head back up and discuss what you'd like to see."_

Mary Lou spoke first, _"What are they talking about?"_

_ "They're going to sell us." _Stephanie said with no emotion in her voice.

_"You can't know that."_

_"Yes I can. I was a buyer before I became a bounty hunter, Mare, remember? I recognize the look of appraisal. Whoever Kazarra's buyer is is looking at our worth."_

_ "That makes us sound like we're nothing more than cattle."_

_ "Until we get out of here," _Stephanie said softly, _"We are nothing more than cattle."_

_ "She's right." _The whimpering woman spoke. Her voice cracked with pain and was hoarse. _"He'll sell you to the highest bidder, and if you won't do what your master tells you, then you get sold back and Kazarra will do what he likes then put you back down here until you've healed enough for him to sell you again."_

There was a ferocious growl in the control room. Bobby and Tank pounced on Lester as he lunged for the nearest door. Together they wrestled him to the ground. Tank spoke quickly to his friend, "Santos, breathe. You've got to get it together."

"My woman—and my _baby_ are being held to be sold!" Lester roared coming close to breaking free. That is, until Ranger pushed between Tank and Bobby and gripped Lester in a lock that Lester couldn't get out of.

"Calm down." Ranger growled. "We are going to get them back. We're a step ahead with this wire. It's going to keep us apprised of what they're dealing with. We know Kazarra has them. We. Will. Get. Them. Back."

Lester glared at his cousin for several moments then sighed and dropped his head. When he lifted it again he looked at Ranger. His voice was soft with anger and pain. "Carlos…they…I…"

"I know." Ranger said just as softly. "We'll get them back."

_"Pen?" _Stephanie's voice was soft, _"How are you feeling?"_

_ "I don't know." _Penelope admitted. _"How would you feel if you found out if you were pregnant?"_

_ "Um…" _Stephanie was very aware of the wire on her, but she knew Penelope needed some kind of comfort, _"Honestly? Whenever the thought of children came up with Morelli, I felt like was going to break out in hives and it felt like there was a noose tightening around my neck. There was an unbearable feeling of suffocation that I couldn't handle. But, with Carlos? I don't think I can describe the idea. He's always been the one who helped me fly when everyone else told me I couldn't."_

_ "You'd be okay with it?" _Penelope sounded surprised.

_"Well, right now, I'd prefer it we wait. He and I have spent so much time going in circles around each other…I think we need time for just us." _Stephanie said hoping Ranger caught the silent message, _"But someday? Someday a little boy who looks like his daddy would be wonderful."_

_ "How can you not be concerned of what kind of mother you'll be when you have your mother?"_

_ "Because I see my mother and know I would never be like her. Plus, Carlos, and my Merry Men, they'd never let me get away with it. Pen, you are not Diane. She is a self-serving bitch who only acknowledges her own needs. You became a lawyer to help people. You helped Kaylee when she was being bullied. You stand up for people, something your father taught you." _Stephanie stopped talking when the door opened.

"Fuck." Bobby muttered. "I wish we could just implant a tracking device on Bomber. It would make finding her so much easier."

"Don't think I haven't thought about it." Ranger replied with a smirk.

_"So you're the bitches Kazarra warned me about."_ A cold voice crept through the wire. Ranger could practically see Stephanie stiffen with apprehension. He willed her to stay calm. He willed himself to stay calm.

/\/\/\/\/\

But Stephanie wasn't feeling calm. She was feeling intensely protective. "Warned you about us? We're nothing special."

The man wasn't a large man. He was tall, and lean. Comparing him to a Merry Man was almost laughable. He had muscles, she could see that. His close cropped black hair did little to hide the scars that ran along his neck under his shirt. He leaned up against the cell bars and stared straight at her chest. Stephanie didn't move, refusing to give him the satisfaction of squirming.

Finally, he looked at her face and smirked. "I heard you like playing detective. Find your friend's killer?"

"Haven't got a clue what you're talking about." Stephanie said dismissively.

Penelope looked at Stephanie from where she was sitting in their cage. Stephanie was standing in the middle, arms folded over her chest, legs apart. She looked protective. Knowing her friend's capabilities she stood and walked over, wrapping an arm around Steph's shoulders.

The man leered at them. "They'll let me test you out. Make sure your merchandise is good. I do good work too."

"Really?" Stephanie drawled, her eyes falling to his crotch. "You don't look like you've got enough to satisfy."

"You just aint been with a real man." He growled. "When I'm done with you, you'll be begging."

"Not for you I imagine." She shot back. "Trust me. I've got a real man and no one else compares. Certainly not what you're sporting," she motioned toward his crotch, "there."

He slammed a fist against one of the bars, glaring at her. "Careful, bitch, or you'll end up dead like your friend."

"What do you know of it?" Stephanie demanded.

"She screamed." He grinned, watching her face drain of color, "Begged me not to do it. I enjoyed watching her squirm. Breaking her was so easy. She had the nerve to talk back to me too. Pity I had to kill her. I was gonna get a taster of her since she was so feisty, but don't worry, I'll make up for that with one of you."

Penelope gripped Stephanie's shoulders as hard as she could. Fuck, they were in deep shit. Especially since this man killed Kaylee. But she couldn't block Stephanie's mouth, which insisted on running. "You're pathetic—"

"Bruce!" Everett stepped down into the basement. He shot a look at his hired man. "I told you to wait."

"Boss, I wanted to see what the goods are." He replied.

"You've seen them. Now get to the task at hand." Everett ordered.

Bruce shot the four of them a look that promised more to come later. Stephanie swallowed against the vile feeling that crept up her throat.

"My dears, I hope you enjoy your accommodations."

"It's hardly four star." Penelope snapped. "If you give me a comment card, I'll be happy to fill it out with suggestions."

"Tsk, tsk, Penelope, I did not raise you to be rude."

Penelope's head whipped around and she saw Diane walking down the stairs into the basement. Her jaw dropped. "Diane?"

"Penelope, I have forms for you to sign." She wasted no time in what she wanted to speak to her daughter about. "You sign them, then we will go about our lives and you and I can pretend the other doesn't exist."

"Did you know he was doing this?" Penelope demanded motioning toward Everett.

"Of course I did." Diane looked surprised. "Why wouldn't I know? I've been sleeping with him for over thirty years. I know more about what he does than his wife."

Sheila and Mary Lou stood with their backs against a wall, watching the scene unfold before them. In a silent form of comfort, they grasped each other's hands. Penelope stepped back away from Stephanie, who stood protectively in front of all of them.

"Now," Diane continued, "These forms sign over everything you own to me."

"Why would I sign those?"

"Because, my dear, you won't need them where you're going." She replied.

"And where am I going?"

"To the highest bidder of course."

"You'd sell your own daughter?" Penelope felt like she was going to be sick, and with the knowledge that she was pregnant, that was a complete possibility.

"You were warned about going against Everett and his family." Diane said, looking down her nose at all of them. Despite the dirtiness of the basement, she stood there in pristine white, looking every bit of the upper class woman she was. "You chose to ignore it and now you're paying the consequences."

"You can't seriously think that would work." Stephanie interjected. "You put her on a bidding block and people are going to see Mark Thayer's daughter. Even you aren't that stupid. Well…you might be since you're willing to sell your child."

Diane raised her chin at Stephanie. "We don't sell to anyone in the country, you twit."

"What did you do, try to sell Kaylee and she got away?" Stephanie asked trying to buy more information.

"Of course not." Everett looked bored. "She discovered my business affairs and had to be taken care of. Derek was smart enough to find Bruce and have him take care of Kaylee. Bruce can be…intense at times. We told him to make it look like an accident."

"Clearly, he failed, since the police were investigating it and started doing it again." Stephanie growled.

"Yes, well, if she had listened to the video Derek sent her she would have lived a peaceful and quiet life." He looked thoughtful. "Well, perhaps not. She was a lovely young woman. I'm sure I could have sold her for a very good price."

"You deserve to rot in Hell." Sheila growled.

Everett smiled. It was a cold smile, one that had all the girls repressing a desire to shiver. "I will go to hell a very rich man, my dear. You, on the other hand, will spend the rest of your lives in hell on earth. The men who will buy you will pay a handsome price, and you will obey, or you will be punished for it."

Penelope's mind was racing. Everything he was saying gave them enough to have the Kazarra family put away, along with Derek and Bruce and even her mother. They would have to get away in order to find someone who they could get the information to. Everett and Diane seemed to have no qualms about discussing the past with them because they clearly believed none of them were going to escape and they would continue on with their lives as though nothing happened.

But one nagging thought crept into her mind. "Diane…you said you've been sleeping with him for over thirty years. He's not—I'm not—he didn't—"

"Really, Penelope, for a lawyer, you should work on coherent sentences." Diane said. "Sadly, he's not your father. Mark Thayer is your biological father. I guarantee if Everett were your father, you would not have such a prissy attitude towards everything. Now, since I do not want the banks to get control over your funds with your sudden disappearance, I really need you to sign everything over."

"Not happening."

"Penelope, I know you think that your assets will go to her," Diane waved a dismissive hand at Stephanie, "But she will be sold as well."

"Don't worry, Diane," Penelope gave her a cold look, "My assets won't be going to Stephanie—no offense, Steph—"

"None taken."

"—but they definitely won't be going to you. My will has been updated and I have it so locked that even if you contest it, it'll be tied up in courts for years."

"You ungrateful little bitch!" Diane snapped angrily. "I should have aborted you when I found out I was having you!

"Calm down, my dear," Everett said soothingly. "We'll get everything worked out. I'll make sure we get a very good price for her too."

Diane wasted no time in shooting Penelope one more dirty look before allowing Everett to lead her out of the basement area.

Penelope's legs shook and she felt Stephanie and Mary Lou lead her to the ground gently. She looked up at Stephanie with a vulnerability that was unusual to see on her face. "What are we going to do Steph? How are we going to get out of this?"

"_Solidarietas_." Stephanie said after a moment. "We'll stick together." She sat next to Penelope and wrapped an arm around her. "We just have to get more information from them. "

"I can't believe she would have aborted me." Penelope's eyes filled with tears. "How can I have a child when that kind of blood is running through me?"

/\/\/\/\/\

"Proud of you, Babe." Ranger muttered. She had managed to get information out of them that Jace and the rest of the Feds had been trying to pinpoint. Luckily for them, Hal had hit the record button so whatever was going to happen would be continuously recorded.

At hearing Penelope's words, Lester froze, unable to move. He had to hear what was being said next. Tank had hurried to find Jace and apprise him of the current situation and call Lenny to let him know they had found where Mary Lou was…sort of.

_"You can have that child because that baby is part of you and Lester." _Stephanie's voice was firm.

_ "Shit…I've fallen in love with him and if we don't get out of here, the poor bastard is never going to know he's stuck with me." _Penelope said. All the men in the room could hear the shaken emotion in her voice.

_"Oh…I wouldn't worry about that." _Stephanie said, _"I'm pretty sure he knows now."_

"_What are you talking about?" _There was a rustling sound then a gasp, "_You're wired? When did that happen?"_

_ "This morning on the job. Carlos and I both forgot to take it off. Lucky us, huh?"_

_ "So lucky!" _Penelope's voice was laced with excitement. _"Do you think they caught everything Kazarra and Diane said?"_

_ "We'll find out when they get us." _Stephanie replied.

_ "Oh…do you think Lester knows I'm pregnant then?"_

_ "Probably."_

_ "Fuck! That means Ranger probably heard me talk about the stakeout…is he going to send me to a third world country?"_

There were muffled snorts of laughter on both sides of the wire. Stephanie's voice was filled with laughter when she started talking, _"I doubt it, but I'm sure something he'll think of something dirty to do to you."_

_ "You're not letting me forget that are you?"_

_ "Not any more than I'm going to let Stephanie forget that she wanted Jace to invade her Gotham City." _Sheila said.

_"Says the woman who wanted to paint my husband with strawberry syrup." _Mary Lou retorted.

_"Hey, do you want me to show you all the dirty texts you kept sending to Lester?" _Penelope demanded.

Ranger breathed marginally. Despite the severity of the situation, he was glad the four of them were with each other and helping one another to stay calm, even if it meant teasing each other mercilessly.

_"You know what, Thayer? I hope you have a daughter. And because she'll be a combination of you and Lester, the world won't know what hit it." _Mary Lou informed her.

_"Maybe I want a son." _

_"The world can't handle more than one Lester, I'm sorry." _Stephanie said.

"If our baby is a girl, she's staying locked in RangeMan until she's a hundred." Lester announced to the control room.

All the men looked at one another and nodded. They could do that.

_"The baby just needs to be healthy." _Lester heard the soft tenderness of Penelope's voice and knew she was keeping the baby. The fear that he had after listening to her mother's declaration dissipated into relief. Now all he had to do was find his woman and child. Then he was taking a vacation. Ranger owed him that much.

_"I have an idea."_ Stephanie said. The sound of ripping along with a muttered, _"Carlos, find tape that doesn't hurt to peel off the skin for these things."_ Cloth moved over the speaker of the wire.

_"Steph, what are you doing?" _Penelope asked.

_"The wire will better be on you." _

Before there was a chance for anyone to hear Steph's explanation, the door to the basement slammed open. Bruce's voice came on. _"Now that I've done what I was supposed to, I get to play."_

There were growls around the control room, showing exactly what they thought of the situation.

_"And I think I want to play with the lawyer."_

_"Shit." _Mary Lou and Sheila said simultaneously.

_"Hey! Dipshit!" _Stephanie said suddenly, startling everyone.

_ "What are you doing, Plum?" _Penelope hissed.

_"Lawyer up, Thayer." _Stephanie hissed back. Her voice got louder, indicating her attention was back on Bruce._ "You must've had fun when you got ahold of Kaylee. Did it make you feel like a big man, hurting someone so much smaller than you? I bet it didn't give you much of a hard on though. You don't look like you've got enough to do anything. I bet Kaylee could have fought you off. You probably had to have help!"_

_ "I didn't have help to do nothing!"_

_ "I bet you can't even get a woman to sleep with you!" _Stephanie continued to taunt, "_It must suck not to have a sex life."_

_"Changed my mind, boys, bring the smart mouth bitch to me instead."_

_"Stephanie!" _Sheila whispered frantically, _"What are you doing?"_

_ "Dealing with anger issues." _She replied.

The men in the control room looked at Ranger, trying to gauge whether or not to hold him down…or try to hold him down. They all listened quietly as the cell door was opened and Stephanie was dragged out of it.

When the basement door closed, Mary Lou's voice was thick as she said, "_I thought we told her to put her anger issues into her sexual nature."_

_ "She didn't have to do that."_ Penelope sounded frustrated. _"I could have handled myself."_

Mary Lou started talking again, surprising all of them at the sudden vehemence in which she spoke, _"Really? And what would you have done when they realized you're pregnant? Hm? Your first instinct will be to protect your stomach. The moment they see you favoring it, they'll figure it out. And with Diane up there, you can bet she'll figure it out faster than anyone else. In the situation we're in, you know they won't let you keep that baby."_

_ "But she didn't—"_

_ "Yes she did! Ranger talked Stephanie into getting training. Bruce couldn't even take on the weakest Rangeman, if there is one. So Steph is going to make his life hell for a while. She is protecting you and your baby. Something you can't do. You're not a physical fighter, Thayer. You know that. We all know that. Right now, your baby is your first priority. We have another woman down here. You heard Steph. Lawyer up. Get all the information you can out of her. We need everything we can get to help them find us."_

_ "The problem with Steph working through her anger issues now,"_ Sheila's voice was soft, _"Is she'll have to find a way to focus her anger into one spot. She blacked out last time."_

_ "Then we all better hope she channels her inner Ranger and stays focused on Bruce and kicks the shit out of him for all of us."_ Mary Lou's voice was resolute.

* * *

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	39. Chapter 39

**AN: First things first: I am soooooo sorry for the lengthy wait on this chapter. I was struggling to figure out the best way to do things, and I hope everyone likes what I did in the long run. Hopefully, luck will be on my side and you won't have to wait for so long for another chapter. **

**Past that, all of you who reviewed, thanks! You guys bring so many smiles to my face when I see what you have to say :-D. I'm glad you're enjoying things!**

**And now, sit back and relax with the newest chapter! :-)**

* * *

**Rediscovery**

**Chapter 39**

Penelope gave Mary Lou a long look. As much as she didn't want to admit it, Mary Lou was right. Stephanie had gotten training she needed to help her as a bounty hunter, so Bruce would not be able to do a lot in the way of really hurting her. At least, they could hope that.

She looked over at the woman in the cell next to theirs. She was shaking from the injuries Penelope could see. Curled over in a fetal position, the soft whimpers and sobs could be heard if everyone was silent. Damn it, Penelope thought angrily, the woman was already in pain. She didn't want to harass her. _Lawyer up, _she ordered herself. She'd helped women who had been the victims of abuse from their spouses. She could do this. And the moment they were out, she was going to make sure this woman had plenty of care,

Moving to the wall of bars that separated all of them, she sat down and looked over. "Excuse me, what's going on?"

The sniffling stopped. When the woman picked up her head she looked at Penelope with a look of disbelief. "Your friend told you. You're going to be sold."

"What about you?" Penelope asked.

"I'll be sold again…and again and again." She ran a hand through her dirty blonde hair. Blood streaked through it.

"Why do you keep being resold?"

"Because I keep fighting."

The woman met Penelope's eyes and she found herself staring into the eyes of a woman who had not been broken. A woman who was going to continue fighting for as long as she lived. It was a trait Penelope recognized in herself, in Stephanie and Sheila and Mary Lou…and Kaylee.

"What's your name?"

"Cindy McMarth." She replied.

"Do you have family looking for you?"

Cindy shook her head. "No. My parents have been dead for years. I thought I had a boyfriend, but he's the one who brought me here."

"Bastard." Sheila muttered.

Penelope nodded slightly. "Do all women end up back here?"

"Most of the time, they're broken before their sold. Kazarra likes to make sure they are compliant to what he wants. There are always a few who fight and fight hard." She took a shuddering breath and slowly sat up. There were gasps from the other three women as they looked at Cindy's battered body.

"Is Kazarra the one who did that to you? Did he beat you?"

Cindy nodded. "Him and his woman."

Penelope felt ice freeze in her veins. "His woman?"

"Yeah," Cindy shot Penelope a look. "The one willing to sell you, your mother."

"Diane has never raised her hand in any form other than to have the manicurist redo her nails." Penelope said. Logically, she knew what Cindy was saying was true, but the irrational part of her desperately wanted to believe otherwise. Right now, the irrational side of her had hold of her voice.

"Then maybe you don't know your mother very well." Cindy said flatly. "I'm surprised you'd try defending her considering she just told you she would have aborted you."

Penelope flinched, then allowed her inner lawyer to overrule anything else. Personal feelings set aside, she would deal with the horrors of what they were going through later. Much much later. "Diane and Kazarra beat you."

"Yep."

"Did they do anything else? Were you raped?"

Cindy glared at her. "Why? Trying to find out if you're next?"

"Don't you think it's fair that we at least have an idea of what we're being faced with?" Penelope demanded. "At least help us be prepared. We're not going down without a fight."

"They'll break you."

"Then they don't know us very well." Cindy just continued to glare at her. Penelope pressed on. "What can you tell us about Bruce? Has he ever hurt you?"

"He raped me. Over and over." She said. "I couldn't fight him. He was too big. Every time I come back, he takes me." The emotionless tone in her voice made Sheila and Mary Lou shiver with fear and revulsion. Penelope just locked her feelings on the matter away for later. In some ways, she was better than the Merry Men at hiding her feelings, and when her Lawyer-mode was on, no one would ever see what she was feeling.

"How long until you're sold again?" Penelope asked.

"Not until my injuries heal."

"Have you ever tried escaping?"

Cindy gave a humorless smile. "Once."

"What happened?"

"I crawled over the top of the cells." She pointed to the top of the cells. The other three women looked up. There was barely enough space for a small child. "I got out of here over there at the doors and ran like hell in the middle of the night. It only took them twenty minutes to catch me. They've got this place locked down better than the most secure building in the world."

Sheila and Mary Lou were still looking up at the space between the ceiling and the wall. Standing, Sheila walked to the bars of the cell and studied it.

"Sheila?" Pen asked.

"Steph could get past that." Sheila said almost to herself. "And Kaylee."

"What are you talking about?" Mary Lou asked.

"That space."

"And?" Penelope asked going to stand next to her. "What of it? None of us can get up there."

"Not the three of us." Sheila grinned. "But Steph and Kaylee? It would make them laugh at the simplicity of the challenge."

"It's at least eight feet tall." Penelope argued only to find herself meeting looks from her friends that told her that would clearly _not _faze Stephanie. So when she was brought back to the cell, assuming whatever damage she came back with wasn't too extensive…maybe there was an out for them after all!

"What are you planning?" Cindy asked. "Can I help?"

"We want to get the hell out of here." Penelope replied. "We have lives, friends and family who we need and they need us."

"Wait—you have people who will look for you?" She looked at them confused. "Then why were you taken?"

Penelope turned to face her. "What do you mean?"

"I mean that anyone who has been taken, other women, they've all had no one."

"Fuck." Penelope closed her eyes. "No wonder they would have a hard time pinning human trafficking on them."

"The women taken had no one to report the sudden disappearance." Sheila sighed. "Those poor women."

"Does this happen every time Steph pisses off someone?" Penelope wondered out loud.

"No," Mary Lou shook her head, "Usually they just blow up her car…or Ranger's sometimes."

"Yeah, well, Bruce doesn't strike me as the type to just blow up her car given what he did to Kaylee." Penelope replied bitterly.

"Bruce is going to rape your friend." Cindy said in a matter-of-fact tone.

"Bruce never went up against Stephanie." Mary Lou shot back.

Cindy didn't look convinced by any means. She shrugged. "He's bigger than her. The bigger they are, the harder it is to get away."

Penelope grinned suddenly. "Not for Stephanie. For her, the bigger they are…"

"The harder they fall." Mary Lou and Sheila finished, both grinning as they thought of Gabe and the Shot War.

"You have a lot of faith in your friend." Cindy looked at them with a little bit of awe.

"She was trained by Batman." Mary Lou told her. "No one beats Batman—at least not this one."

/\/\/\/\/\

Stephanie found herself taken into a library and left alone. Bruce had locked her in then left when Kazarra demanded his attention. She raised her eyebrows as she looked around. Of all the places she thought she'd be dragged to, a household library was not on her list.

Unwilling to waste any time, she hurried to the windows only to find them locked. She let out a growl of frustration as she stalked around the room looking for _anything_ that would allow her to get help.

She didn't have time to continue searching because Bruce let himself in, locking the door behind him.

He stalked toward her. Stephanie instinctively stepped back. He leered at her. "That's right, bitch. Be afraid."

Afraid? She stopped moving. She wasn't afraid of him. She wouldn't be afraid of him either. "You're nothing special." She couldn't help but taunt him. What could she say? She had anger issues, and he seemed to be the best one to take them out on.

His arm lashed out, but Stephanie blocked his coming strike, landing her own fist in his gut. It startled him, but didn't keep him down. He looked at her and grinned. "Good. I don't want this to be easy."

"Don't worry. I'll give you the ass kicking of your life."

Bruce laughed. "You can't hurt me."

"No?" Stephanie didn't hesitate to bring her knee straight up into his groin. Bruce dropped to his knees clutching his precious package. "How's that for hurt?"

He growled and lunged for her, but she moved fast, throwing her fist into his face. A sense of satisfaction slid through her as she heard the crunch of his nose and knew it was broken. Bruce howled in pain and jerked away from her, holding his face.

Stephanie moved to the far side of the room and stood defensively. Bruce glared at her. She crossed her arms over her chest. Bruce spoke. "You're feistier than your friend. It was easy to hold her down and kill her."

"You're sick." She hissed.

"I'm going to make sure no one wants you." Bruce advanced toward her. Stephanie backed up and felt herself hit the book shelf. Glancing up, she did the only thing she could. She climbed.

"You think that's going to save you?" Bruce laughed. "Climbing up a wall like a little spider?"

She didn't answer. She climbed as quickly as she could. A hand clamped around her ankle and yanked. Gasping, she refused to let go of the bookshelf. With her other foot she kicked back, connecting with his left eye. Bruce refused to relinquish his hold on her. He yanked again, this time Stephanie lost her hold on the shelves.

She hit the ground with a cry of pain at the pain that shot through her left wrist. Before she could react, he was on her, pinning her to the ground.

"Now it's my turn to show you what an ass kicking feels like." He growled in her ear.

Panic rose in her chest when she tried to wiggle free, but his grip held firm. Closing her eyes, she took a deep breath. She had to focus and not panic. His hands wrapped around her throat, closing off her air supply. Stephanie clawed at his hands painfully with one hand, and with the other reached for anything that could help her.

Her hand closed around the spine of a heavy leather bound book. The weight of it hurt her wrist desperately, but she forced herself to think past the pain. She swung it up and clocked Bruce in the head. He released her hold on her and staggered away.

Stephanie rolled to her side, gasping for air. She looked at the book in her hand. _Beowulf._

"Thanks, Kay," She muttered standing. She held the book in her hands, the memories of Kaylee tumbling around quoting the story as they practiced their gymnastics. A renewed sense of anger filled her as she looked up and saw Kaylee's killer getting to his feet.

"_**Thus Beowulf bore himself with valour; he was formidable in battle yet behaved with honour and took no advantage**_." Stephanie quoted. She glared at Bruce. "This was Kaylee's favorite, you son of a bitch. The world was deprived of a great mind because you."

And she threw the book as hard as she could.

/\/\/\/\/\

"Report!" Ranger growled as he stormed back into the control room. Most of the men were avoiding him like the plague right now. Ranger simply did not storm around, but when Stephanie was in danger, he was like a pending squall ready to burst and no one wanted to be around him when that happened,

"Bright side, Pen got info out of Cindy on how secure the place is." Hal said, "Bad side, Bomber is still with Bruce." The sound that came out of Ranger made Hal and Ram look at one another. They didn't know who was worse right now—Ranger or Lester. But they all had their hands full trying to contain the two men.

Jace was at RangeMan with a team of agents trying to come up with a plan. He had elected to work with Tank because Ranger was rapidly becoming more difficult to work with. Lenny was gathering his boys and getting them to his mother's before heading over to try helping as much as possible.

Everything Penelope was gathering was helping. It was all being recorded. Lester had had to leave when they discovered Diane had helped in beating Cindy. Currently, they knew he was beating the hell out of a punching bag in the gym. It was probably the best place for him.

Bobby went down to the gym to check on him. Lester was completely focused on the punching bag. Going round to avoid his friend's fists, Bobby held the bag in place for him. "We're going to get them back, you know."

"Before or after Penelope finds out what kind of sadistic bitch her mother really is?" Lester grunted continuing to hit the bag.

"Lester, man, we've done a lot worse missions. We'll get them out."

"Those were different. Penelope and Stephanie weren't involved."

"No, that's true." Bobby agreed. "But that just means both you and Ranger have much more reason to keep your heads on straight."

"Fuck, man." Lester stopped punching and looked at Bobby. "I can't figure out how Ranger does this every time something happens to Steph. It's killing me, especially since finding out Penelope is pregnant."

"All the more reason to keep your head on straight." Bobby replied. "Come on. Keep calm and maybe you can help us keep Ranger calm."

"Shit…" Lester rubbed his face and followed Bobby out of the gym. "Ranger is going to annihilate that Bruce for hurting Steph. Especially if…"

"He won't get that far." Bobby interjected. "We trained her. She can fight him off. The rest of the girls, not so much, and I hate to have to say that, but it's true."

They found Ranger talking to Jace and Tank in the control room. The wire was still playing. Lester paused to listen to what was being said amongst the girls.

"_Pen, are you alright?" _

"_Yeah, I'm fine."_ She didn't sound fine and everyone in the room stopped talking to listen to what she said.

"_No you're not." _Sheila's voice came on. "_What's going on? Your stomach?"_

_ "No—I mean, probably a little. Am I going to feel nauseous all the time?"_

_ "Mmm, probably not all the time." _Mary Lou told her. _"But you probably won't be able to eat certain things. That's what happened to me."_

Penelope didn't say anything for a while, then Sheila said, "_You're thinking of your mother, aren't you?"_

_ "I'm just…" _Her voice was weak for a moment, then stronger, "_It's not important right now. Right now, we've got to figure out where we are exactly."_

_ "Yay, the lawyer is back to bully the victims." _Mary Lou muttered.

"_I'm not a bully."_

_ "When you lawyer up you are." _

There was a noise that sounded like the door was opening. Simultaneously the men heard gasps from all three women.

"_Oh fuck."_

_ "Shit."_

_ "Oh god."_

The tension in the control room was so thick a knife wouldn't be able to cut through it. The sound of cell doors opening and slamming shut.

"_Steph?"_

The men looked at Ranger. He was ready to strike out at anyone or anything as they waited for an answer from their Bombshell.

"_Plum, are you okay?"_

_ "Yeah," _Everyone breathed a sigh of relief when they heard her. "_I'm good."_

_ "What the hell did you do to Bruce?" _Mary Lou's voice was filled with repressed amusement.

_"I dealt with some anger issues."_

_ "Honey," _Sheila didn't bother hiding the laugh, "_I don't think you dealt with some anger issues. I think you just unloaded all your anger baggage on him."_

"_I just want to know what you did to him." _Penelope sounded curious. _"Did you throw something at him?"_

_ "Yeah. Beowulf. Among other things I could get my hands on."_

All the women in the cell laughed, remembering the significance of the book. There was a small hiss of pain, then Mary Lou's mothering voice came through, "_Steph, what's wrong?"_

_ "I'm fine." _Then she let out a small shriek. "_Fuck, Thayer!"_

_ "I'm assuming your wrist is injured."_

_ "So you bent it?"_

_ "Hey, Mary Lou grabbed my breast to tell me I'm pregnant."_

_ "We're really a touchy feely group…and not necessarily in the best of ways." _Sheila said idly.

Steph was sighing, _"Yeah, my wrist is injured, but it's not broken. I just won't be using that gorgeous gym Carlos built for me for a while."_

_ "I'm sure he'll let you use him for exercise." _Penelope said.

_"I hope he puts you in a jungle." _Stephanie muttered.

_"What the fuck were you thinking, Stephanie?" _Micah's voice boomed across the control room.

_"What?"_

_ "Pushing Kazarra is only going to end badly for you."_

_ "Yeah? Well, think of how disappointed Kaylee is in you. I hope you feel sick to your stomach when you see yourself in the mirror."_

The voices got closer together. They could tell Penelope had moved. Micah spoke softly. _"You haven't got a clue as to what you're talking about. None of the luck I wished for Kaylee will help you get away from this manor."_

* * *

**Please Review! :-) **


	40. Chapter 40

**AN: Hi everyone! Hope your week has been going good :-) Thank you to everyone who has reviewed so far! It means so much to me that y'all are taking the time to review and let me know what you think! I'm glad all of you are still enjoying the story. I hope you like this chapter!**

**Disclaimer: Don't own them, don't make any money, just like to play :-D**

* * *

**Rediscovery**

**Chapter 40**

Stephanie met Micah's eyes. Manor. She came closer to him. "What do you care what happens to any of us, hm?"

"I know you, Plum." Micah was almost pressed against the bars as he glared at her. "You'll do something stupid like try and find a way out of here to go get help."

"I would think that's hardly stupid." Stephanie retorted.

"It is when you need an army to break through the defenses Kazarra has set up around here." Micah shot back. "As it is, you're three hours out of Trenton, away from everyone you know. You might last an hour at most, but you don't know where you're at. You'll just end up more lost."

Stephanie narrowed her eyes at him, then they widened. _He knew. _Her mouth opened and closed for a second. Taking in the look on his face, she kept asking questions. "Why not at least try before we're sold?"

Micah shook his head. "You've got twenty-four hours before they start having people come around looking at you."

"The impression we've gotten is they'll wait until they've broken us." Penelope said having realized the same thing Stephanie had.

"Not this time." He answered. "You're a liability for them right now. The longer they hold you, the more likely people notice you're gone."

"I'm sure people have already noticed we're gone." Stephanie said flatly. "Are they fucking insane? They've got the wife of an FBI agent!"

"And the girlfriends of two former Army Rangers." Mary Lou said. "Doesn't seem like they're doing the smartest thing here."

"Hence why they have to move." Penelope said. "Lester, Ranger and Jace will use every means at their disposal to find us and Kazarra can't risk that. He has to get us out of the way quickly."

"And me?"

Steph looked at Mary Lou. "You'll raise hell, Mare." She faced Micah. She started to speak but the door to the basement area was slammed open.

"Callaghan!" Someone shouted, "Boss wants to see you!"

Micah nodded at him and grabbed Stephanie's arm, yanking her against the cell bars. "Hey!" She protested. Penelope grabbed her.

His voice was low and hurried. "You're in a summer house. You don't have much time, Plum."

"What do you expect me to do? Scale the wall like a spider?" She growled. "Bruce hurt my wrist." She looked up at the cells, seeing where a possible out was. "I can't get over that wall without hurting myself worse."

His lips quirked. "Infantula misera."

Stephanie's jaw dropped. "Did you just Latin me?"

"So just Latined you."

"Why?" She whispered.

"Solidarietas." He replied, then walked away.

Penelope watched him leave. She knew he had just helped them but the question was why? Maybe he felt guilty. She hadn't wanted to see him as a bad guy, and everything in her gut was telling her to tread with caution…more caution than usual. Unconsciously, one of her hands rubbed her stomach.

"What do we do now?" Cindy asked from her own cage.

"We wait." Stephanie said.

Cindy shot them a dirty look. "Why are we just waiting? You don't seem like you wait very well."

"I don't." Stephanie snapped. "But right now, we don't have a choice."

She whirled around and sat down next to Sheila, who started looking at her neck. "Geeze, Steph, you're bruising around your throat!"

"Yeah, he tried choking me." She ran her fingers along her throat. Ranger was going to go nuts when he saw the darkening skin that adorned her neck. Unless he put them there himself in a fit of passion when they were making love, any other marks usually caused him to want to kill.

"How did you get out of it?" Mary Lou asked.

"I clocked him with Beowulf." Steph gave a small chuckle.

"What happened? I mean, he didn't—" Sheila broke off unsure if she could bring herself to ask.

She didn't have to wonder long. Stephanie gave her a long look then said, "No. He didn't rape me. I didn't give him a chance."

"So all that training came in handy after all?"

"That…and a lot of repressed anger."

Silence fell over all the women as they sat thinking of their current situations. None of them could think of anything to help them right now. At one point a servant came downstairs and shoved a plate of food in Cindy's cell and one into their cell.

"Eat." He said simply and walked off.

Stephanie picked up the plate and looked at it. "How do we know it's not poison?"

"They have no reason to poison us." Cindy said picking at the food on her plate. "Not if they want the highest dollar amount possible."

She was right, Steph knew that. She looked over at Penelope. She was sitting against the wall, her arms wrapped around her legs, head resting on her knees. All the revelations she had had throughout the day was taking its toll on her.

She took the plate to Penelope. "Here. Eat."

"What about you guys?" Penelope asked looking up.

"The rest of us aren't pregnant." Steph sat down next to her. "You need to keep your strength up for you and Baby Santos."

"Baby Santos?" A small smile came to Penelope's lips at the new name. Her eyes filled and she blinked them away. "Damn hormones." She buried her face in her knees. When she was under control, she took a deep breath and looked back at Stephanie. "Diane helped Kazarra beat her." She jerked her head toward Cindy. "I just…I just…" She trailed off at a loss for words.

"You will not be her." Stephanie said forcefully.

"I know that. I can't imagine hurting someone the way she hurt Cindy." Penelope nodded. "I keep wondering what else she's done. You think Jace would be willing to do a full search into her?"

"If he can't, I can." Stephanie smiled. "I've got wicked searching skills."

Giving a small smile in return, she turned to face the plate of food and picked at it slowly, eating carefully. Finally she asked, "What do you make of Micah?"

"I've been wondering that too." Sheila said. "Everything he is doing seems to be out of character."

"Why is he working for Kazarra? Especially after what happened to Kaylee." Mary Lou wondered.

"He doesn't know it was them." Stephanie said. "But he knows we're wired. The question is why is he sudden helping us?"

None of them could answer. They fell lost in their own thoughts as they all wondered why Micah was suddenly helping them.

"Hello, my dear."

Penelope looked up and saw Derek and Diane standing in front of the cell. She refused to move from her spot. Diane glared at her and said to Derek, "What makes you think you can get through to her any more than I could? I'm her mother after all."

Derek ignored her. "Penelope, I've seen your will. Your lawyer very carelessly left it sitting out on her desk."

"What did you do?" She shot to her feet, glaring at him.

"Nothing major." He shrugged. "She's just had a little accident." He gave her a cool assessing look. "Now, I'm curious. What on earth do these women and your new little boy toy have that I don't?"

"Besides a heart?"

"I feel very hurt that you neglected to include me in your will. We were married." Derek had clearly lost his mind. Stephanie stared him incredulously.

"You fucked my mother! You convinced her to pull the plug on my father!" Penelope's voice rose. "Why on earth would I give anything to a man who tried to do anything he could to please himself and my mother? Oh, wait—were you fucking Kazarra too?" There was a murderous look on her face. She snapped her fingers. "That explains it! Both of you are his bitches who have to come every time he calls." She looked disgusted. "You're both sick. Especially if you think for one minute I'm going to sign anything over to you."

"You'll sign over everything to us right now." Derek said.

"Like hell I will!" Her voice rose.

"Pen, you've got to calm down." Mary Lou hissed at her.

Unconsciously, her hand ran over her stomach, reminding her why she had to calm. The movement was not lost on Diane, who narrowed her eyes and then gave a cold smile. "Well, well, well. It seems that someone has a little secret she hasn't shared."

"What are you talking about Diane?" Derek demanded.

"Oh, poor you. You're such a man." Diane smiled and patted his cheek. "It seems our little Penelope has a secret."

/\/\/\/\/\

The men were already on the move. There was a line of SUVs moving along the roads that could make someone think the president was visiting. The feed from the mic was being transferred into the SUVs.

Lester and Ranger were the most tense of everyone there. While they all loved Stephanie like a sister, and had grown to love Penelope as well, none of them could even imagine the magnitude of what either man was feeling.

Things became so much worse when Diane spoke again. _"Tell me dear, how long have you known you're pregnant?"_

Lester froze in spot and stared straight ahead, every fiber of his being growing more and more rigid with fear and fury.

_"I don't know what you're talking about." _Penelope said. Lester prayed she could bluff her way into making Diane think she wasn't pregnant. She was a lawyer, bluffing was second nature to her, right?

_"Tsk." _Diane clucked her tongue in a disapproving tone. _"None of that. You've just made things much more difficult. I hope you can appreciate that."_

_ "Believe me, I do." _Penelope's voice was soft. While no one else might have heard the underlying emotions, Lester did. He could hear the sudden fear in her voice.

_"You're pregnant?" _Derek's voice was incredulous. _"Well, fuck me."_

_ "I'm sure if she was fucking you, she wouldn't be in this position." _Diane said.

_"What's Everett going to want us to do? Get rid of the bastard?" _

From the back of the SUV Bobby and Tank looked at each other when they heard both Lester and Ranger growl. This was already an ugly situation and now that it had been found out that Penelope was pregnant, it just became even worse.

_"We'll discuss it with him. I'm sure we'll have to get rid of it. She can't be far enough along for it to be dangerous." _Diane's voice was dismissive.

But Derek's was thoughtful and calculating when it came back on the line. _"Or we sell it."_

_ "Excuse me?" _Penelope was outraged. Everyone could hear it. _"You stay the fuck away from me and my baby!"_

_ "I can't believe you let that worthless spic inside you!" _Derek's voice rose.

_"He is not a worthless spic!" _Penelope yelled. _"He's an honorable man who fought for his country which is more than you ever did! You're just a pathetic excuse of a man who—"_

_ "Oh my god, Stephanie!" _Mary Lou shrieked.

All the men could hear was a loud thud followed by a sickening crunch, then a howl of pain. _"You bith! You bwoke by dose!"_ Derek yelled.

_"Yeah, come in here and see what else I break!" _Stephanie's voice radiated fury.

Ranger's lips tipped upward. "Proud of you, Babe."

_"Derek, go get cleaned up." _Diane ordered. _"Penelope, I hope you're not planning to get too attached to that fetus. I'm going to make sure you lose it."_

_ "You're not going to succeed at this." _Sheila said.

Diane laughed. To the men it was like nails on a chalkboard, rather than the calculated laugh she had perfected over the years. _"Sheila, I've been getting away with this for years. Do you know how many women come back here pregnant? It's not hard to get someone out here on short notice to take care of an unwanted baby."_

_ "This baby isn't unwanted!" _Penelope shrieked.

_"Pen, calm down!" _Mary Lou ordered.

_"Of course it's unwanted. Why on earth would we wait for you to have the little bastard? Granted, I'm sure we'd get a pretty penny for selling it, but really, then we have to wait for you to heal and it's just so inconvenient for everyone all around." _Diane's voice was emotionless. _"Better to save you the trouble of having your body adjust for the baby. It would take entirely too long for us to get your shape back so we can sell you. I'm sure we can have the baby taken care of within the next couple hours. I'll just go speak to Everett now—"_

There was static silence in the SUV. Lester hit a button trying to get the feed playing again. Nothing happened. "What the fuck!" His voice was loud, almost in a panic. No one could blame him. Now they were all hoping they could get there in time.

Ranger grabbed his phone and dialed the control room. "Report!"

"Sir, looks like the battery on the wire died. We can't get anything." Hal reported quickly. "We're trying to get it back, but if the battery is done, we're not going to."

He hung up. "Battery is dead."

"Ranger." Lester's voice was low and deadly.

"We're getting there." Ranger replied. "Keep your head on, Soldier."

"We have to hurry." Lester's voice was hoarse. He had to pull himself together. He had to get his family back. Then he wasn't letting Penelope out of his sight for the next hundred years. At the very least.

"When this is over, we should teach Penelope self-defense." Bobby said to Tank, trying to ease the tension in the SUV.

"If she's like Bomber, it's gonna take a lot." Tank replied.

"I don't think it's going to take as much as it did Steph, not after this." Bobby told him. "And when the baby is born, we're just going to have to create a baby boot camp. Ranger was a hard drill sergeant at times. Bet he'd do a great job with Baby Santos."

"Yeah. He could." Tank nodded then laughed. "We'll stock up on baby army fatigues."

"You're turning my kid into a soldier." Lester's voice was flat, but they could see some of the tension leaving his body. Distracting him was working so far. It was different from their usual rides in silence, but this case was different. Lester was turning in on himself and they knew what could happen if they let him do it all the way. Right now they had to keep him occupied until it was time to rescue the women.

"Hell yeah! If the kid's a boy, we've got to start early! We've heard stories from your mama about the hellion you were!" Tank said.

"I wasn't as bad as Ranger." Lester shot back. "I never stole a car!"

"I gave it back." Ranger retorted.

"Cuz the police made you."

"Semantics."

"What are we going to do if the baby's a girl?" Bobby asked.

"Still boot camp." Tank nodded. "Especially if she's anything like her parents. Can you imagine what's gonna happen when she's old enough to date?"

"She's never going to date." Lester said with finality in his voice.

"I'd like to see you get that by Steph and Pen." Bobby said. "Steph's just a little too good at getting away from us when she wants to. Who do you think would teach your daughter that?"

"Then Ranger just better knock Steph up so I don't have to worry about that." Lester shot his cousin a look.

"I'll get right on that." Ranger said dryly.

"And make sure she knows it's only so Lester can keep his sanity." Bobby said. Tank and Bobby started laughing when Ranger muttered something indiscernible under his breath and kept driving.

Not a moment too soon and they were arriving at the agreed location. FBI and Rangemen gathered around to go over the plan of attack. Jace took the lead. "Alright men, Ranger and his men will go through dealing with Kazarra's men, enabling us to get to them. When we get the all clear, we will get to the house and make the arrests. Ready, Ranger?" He looked at his former commanding officer. Ranger's simple nod told him everything he needed to know.

"Don't forget, we have five women being held. Getting them out safely is our first focus." Jace said. "Good luck, men."

"Rangemen, let's move." Ranger ordered.

They spread out and moved with a quick efficiency that they had all mastered during their time in the army or various armed services. Having parked about half a mile away from Kazarra's estate, it didn't take them long to reach the coordinates. Hector, with a grin of triumph quickly found the wirings for Kazarra's alarm and fence system, disabled them. They weren't very good, either, he decided as he scaled the wall, looking for more wires. He could do a better job if he wanted to. Luckily, he didn't want to.

Finding the box that controlled the lighting through the house and yard, he disabled it. He could hear yells of surprise from inside the house. He sat back against the wall, unseen, and watched as a swarm of black scaled over the wall like a tidal wave coming to demolish its target. He wanted to join them, but knew he had about ten minutes before he was to make sure the lights were back on.

Ten minutes flew by for everyone else. The men Kazarra had hired were good, but stood no chance against military trained men—pissed off military trained men at that. They were disabled quickly and moved through the house, taking out any guards who got in their way.

Then the lights flew on, and sirens were heard in the background. Ranger found Everett Kazarra and his son in Everett's study. He stalked toward both of them, gun raised high with Bobby, Ram, Tank and Cal behind him.

"The women. Where are they?" Ranger demanded.

"Stored away safely." Dwayne replied snidely.

Ranger didn't hesitate to fire, hitting Dwayne in the shoulder. "I'll ask again. Where are they?"

"Basement." Everett said, shooting his son a dark look.

"Everett Kazarra, you're under arrest." Jace's voice boomed as he came into the study with several men.

Ranger went to find his cousin. The moment he saw Lester, he motioned for him to follow. The two of them descended the flights of stairs into the basement. Swinging the door open, Lester growled at the sight before him and yelled, "Penelope!"

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**Please Review! It makes me smile when you do! Promise!**

****If I insulted anyone with Derek's slander towards Lester, I apologize. It's not something I would use myself, but the character himself would.****


	41. Chapter 41

**AN: :-) Here I am with another chapter! We're starting to come to a close on this story. Maybe 2 more chapters and we'll be done! It's been a fun ride for this one. So, all of you who have reviewed this, or just taken the time to read it, thanks so much! You guys rock! It means the world to me when y'all leave reviews! Makes me feel really good inside knowing what you think!**

**Disclaimer: I am making no money whatsoever, I do not own them (sadly...especially Ranger), but I like to play.**

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**Rediscovery**

**Chapter 41**

The scene that lay before the two men would make them curse themselves later when they reflected on the whole situation. Lester had reacted, for the first time in a bad situation, at the sight before him. In the past he had always been in control the way his cousin was, but when he saw Penelope this time, his initial reaction had been anything but cool and calm.

Before them lay a very fucked up situation. Ranger was already cursing in his head. It figured that Everett Kazarra would be too willing to give up the location of the women, even when he was outnumbered by men.

In the cell, Mary Lou and Sheila were huddled together with a man holding a gun on them. Ranger could see both women trying to hold themselves together. In a cell next to them was a woman who was staying quiet and observing everything going on. _Must be Cindy, _Ranger thought, and reminded himself to make sure they got her out safely and got all the help she needed after this.

Stephanie was in the cell, but she had three men on her, two of which were holding her down to the ground. Her eyes met Ranger's and through the fury she saw relief that he was there. There was an angry red mark at her temple. The beast inside him had been simmering for the last several hours as they had scrambled to find the women, had threatened to come raging out when Stephanie sacrificed herself to protect Penelope, but the angry mark on her forehead made the beast come to the surface and he forced himself to control it until it was safe to loose.

The worst part of the situation was outside of the cell. Penelope was not in the cell. She had three men holding her struggling form as Diane hovered near her with a large knife in her hand. She froze when Lester shouted.

Turning, Diane raised an eyebrow at them. "Well well, the mighty heroes have arrived."

"Let her go." Lester demanded.

"Oh, I think not." Diane shook her head. "She's been a thorn in my side for years. Ah ah ah!" She waved the knife warningly at Ranger who had shifted enough to aim his gun. "Guns down gentlemen."

Every fiber of both men screamed against doing so, but when they heard the cocking of one of the guns holding against the women, they obeyed and put the guns on the ground. Diane gave a sick little grin. "Over to the cells."

"You don't really expect to get away with this do you, Diane?" Penelope gasped out. "If they're here, others are as well."

"Oh shut up." Diane whirled around and glared at her. "I'm leaving the country and you, dear child, are going to be my ticket out of here."

"How?" She struggled against the men holding her. Out of the corner of her eye she could see Ranger and Lester getting into one of the cells. One of the men locked them in. Damn. She had to find a way to distract Diane, but there were so many men. How many men had come with the guys?

"Don't you worry about that. Derek will make sure you're compliant." The knife waved toward her stomach and Penelope instinctively fought the men holding her to try to cover her belly. She could see Lester rigid with emotion, wanting to get to her but unable to. Diane smirked at her. "Of course, you'll probably be in too much pain from your miscarriage to really fight."

"I'm not having a miscarriage."

"You will if I have anything to say about it." Diane growled at her. Looking at the men holding her, she said, "Take her out the back. Be careful. Clearly, we're under invasion if they are here." She pointed at Ranger and Lester. The men nodded at her and hauled a struggling Penelope out of the basement.

Diane looked at Stephanie and rolled her eyes. Stephanie glared at her and struggled against the men holding her down again. "Really, Stephanie, I should have had Bruce take care of you when he took care of Kaylee."

Ranger looked at one of the men holding his Babe down. He was sporting a black eye, busted lip and various other bruises on his face. If that was any indication of how the rest of Bruce looked, Ranger didn't bother to hide the quick grin that came to his face. Stephanie caught the grin and the silent message that came with it. _Proud of you Babe._

"You couldn't touch me then, Diane." Stephanie snarled back. "You can't touch me now. You've got three men holding me down so you can do anything."

Eyes narrowing,, she ordered the men holding her, "Bring her too."

"Is this a good idea, ma'am?" One of them dared ask. "She is… uh, the Bombshell Bounty Hunter." Ranger saw Stephanie roll her eyes despite the situation. It almost made him smile.

"Are you questioning me?" Diane demanded.

"Just bring her, dumbass." Bruce ordered. "I've been looking for another chance to break her."

"Another?" Stephanie couldn't help snorting out. "I think you've got it backwards. I broke you."

"Bruce!" Diane snapped out when he raised a fist to hit Stephanie. "You can deal with her _after _we've gone. Right now it's imperative we leave. We don't have much time."

"I'm pretty sure you don't have any time." Stephanie volunteered as she was dragged up to her feet.

Saying nothing Diane motioned for them to follow her. The man who held the gun on Sheila and Mary Lou stayed where he was, making things more difficult for Ranger and Lester. The two men could do nothing but sit there in frustrated fury as their women disappeared from view.

Silence ticked by as they waited for some sort of rescue/reassurance from above. Ranger glared back and forth between both doors. Someone should have come down during Diane's tirade. Where was everyone? Slowly, he moved toward the front of the cell. The man watching Sheila and Mary Lou had his back to Lester and him. Sheila and Mary Lou caught sight of what he was doing and kept their attention focused on the guard.

"Do you honestly enjoy this?" Mary Lou asked him. "I mean, you stand there all day, holding a gun."

He didn't answer.

Sheila raised an eyebrow at him. "You don't talk? Are you like the British guards? The ones that stand still and say nothing all day long?"

He glared at them.

"Do you have a family?" Mary Lou asked. When he refused to answer, she kept talking, "Because I do. I have three little boys who are going to wonder where I am. And do you have any idea how much trouble they can get into?"

Sheila grinned. "Did you get in trouble when you were little?"

No answer.

Mary Lou gave him a dirty look. "I hope you're getting paid an awful lot to stand there and be a statue. God, you're annoying just standing there!"

"Would you prefer I shoot you?" He demanded suddenly.

Sheila and Mary Lou exchanged triumphant looks. "Hey! We made him talk!"

The man never had a chance to respond. Lester wrapped an arm around his neck catching him in a stranglehold. He struggled briefly until he passed out, dropping the gun. Lester unceremoniously let him fall to the ground with a loud thud. He looked at the two girls. "Thanks for keeping him occupied, ladies."

"All in a day's work!" Mary Lou grinned. "Next up, Britain to play with their guards!"

Lester gave a small chuckle as he hurried to Cindy's cell and quickly picked the lock to release her. He walked in and helped her to her feet. "Ma'am, can you walk?"

"Yes." Cindy nodded feeling overwhelmed by seeing two large men in front of her. Part of her, the part that had been living in fear for years, wanted to run and hide from them, but another part told her to stay with them. They would keep her safe. "They can't get far. Diane wasn't able to get an appointment with the usual doctor."

"The one who does the abortions?" Lester confirmed.

Cindy nodded. "She'd have to take your friend to him and he's really out of the way."

Ranger walked back to the cell and handed Lester his gun. He knew as well as Lester that Diane wasn't going to get the option of taking Penelope that far. She'd be lucky if she got ten feet off the lawn. Reaching into one of the pockets on his cargos he pulled a silencer out and attached it. "Let's move."

"Time to get Lester's baby mama." Sheila said.

Ranger gave a shake of his head in amusement. "Stay between us. We don't want any more harm coming to either of you."

Neither woman said anything. They just nodded and followed behind Ranger as he lead them toward the doorway Diane had exited with Penelope and Stephanie. They didn't get far when they heard gunshots sound from above them.

All of their paces picked up and they hurried up the stairs that lead to the outside. Before they could get through the entrance, Ranger stopped, keeping them hidden. He motioned behind him for them to wait.

Outside clouds had rolled in overhead and a steady rain had begun falling. Raising his head slowly up, he saw a crowd in the lawn. Search lights were being shined onto the scene. The men holding Stephanie were on the ground writhing in pain. The bullets must have been shot at them, Ranger surmised.

Across the way, Penelope was laying on the ground curled in the fetal position with Stephanie kneeling over her.

Near them Diane was being dragged to the ground screaming by Ram and Cal. They looked hassled enough that Ranger knew he was going to be giving them hazard pay. Hell, he'd give Stephanie hazard pay for this little adventure, especially after she found out just what all was involved .

"Ranger." Lester called up.

"It's safe." He replied, climbing out the rest of the way and letting the others up.

The moment Lester's eyes fell on Penelope he was running across the slick lawn. He slid to a stop and dropped to his knees next to her. Stephanie looked at him and moved away. He ran a hand along her side. "Gorgeous?"

Penelope had shut her eyes tightly. Hearing Lester's voice, they flew open. "Lester!" She threw herself into his arms. "Oh thank god! Thank god!"

Lester held her to him tightly, rocking them back and forth. He closed his eyes, burying his face in her hair, breathing in her scent, reassuring himself that she was indeed in his arms. Pulling back slightly, he looked at her. "Are both of you okay?"

She nodded. "Yeah. They didn't get far before they were confronted by RangeMan and the FBI. Diane thought she could use us as hostages." Her grip on him tightened. Tears filled her eyes. "Oh, god, Lester, when they locked you and Ranger in the cell, I thought everything was shot to hell. I thought I was going to lose our baby."

"Shhh, you're safe." He wrapped his arms back around her.

"Shit, it's these damn hormones." Penelope sniffled into his shirt. "I'm going to hate this part of being pregnant, aren't I?"

"Uh…I don't know. I've never been pregnant." Lester replied.

She giggled, then looked up at him. "Lester…" She gave a hesitant look. "Do you want the baby?"

He didn't hesitate to give her a hard kiss, showing her how much he loved her. Then he told her, "Gorgeous, when we met, I was attracted to you. Then we began spending time together and I found myself using the whole Kazarra incident at the court house as an excuse to stay with you. Because I found myself falling in love with you." One of his hands slid down to her flat tummy. "The idea of you growing with _our _baby makes me love you more than I thought possible. And I already thought I loved you with all of me."

"I love you." She whispered with a smile.

"Good, cuz you're stuck with this poor bastard." He teased kissing the tip of her nose.

Stephanie stood several feet away watching the scene unfold before her with a small smile. It figured it would take Penelope becoming pregnant before she would become emotional enough to tell Lester how she felt about him.

The back of her neck tingled. Quickly she turned and found herself face to face with Ranger. He cupped her face in his hands. "Babe."

"Carlos." She breathed, before leaning up to kiss him. "Oh, Carlos." His arms wrapped around her, tightening so she could feel nothing but his strength.

"I'm proud of you, Babe. So damn proud." He murmured in her ear.

"You taught me well, Batman." She replied.

Ranger squeezed her tighter until he heard the slight hiss of pain escape from Stephanie. Releasing her, he looked down, and saw her left arm between them. Taking it in his hands gently, he ran his fingers over her wrist. It was obvious that it wasn't broken, but whether it was a severe sprain or a fracture was another matter.

His dark eyes met her sapphire ones as he brought her wrist up to his lips and placed feather-like kisses on it. Then he brought her back into his embrace. "How are you really, Babe? Other than your wrist."

Stephanie sighed and rested her head on his shoulder, watching everything work in a flurry around them. Lester and Penelope were still locked in an embrace on the ground, oblivious to the rain, or people running around. Sheila was in Jace's arms and Mary Lou was talking on a cell phone, and from what Steph could see, talking to Lenny.

Diane was sitting in the back of a car, glaring at everyone around her. Stephanie wanted to laugh when she thought of how the other woman wanted to use her and Penelope for hostages. She had clearly fallen off the deep end and had not thought out everything. The only thing that had really kept any of them from doing anything before Ranger and Lester showed up was the fact that she brought men with her, but more so was the knife she had kept wielding dangerously close to Penelope.

"Honestly?" She said. "I'm feeling a bit drained. It's been a very long day."

"I'm taking you home after you go to the hospital."

"Mmkay." Her eyes closed contently. Then flew open. "Wait, what? Hospital? No!"

"Babe." Ranger stroked a hand soothingly up and down her back. "It's for your own good."

"How? I'm not pregnant."

"Your wrist, Babe. We don't know if it's more than sprained." He answered.

"But…Bobby…" She looked up and gave him an imploring look.

"I love you, Babe," He shook his head, "But you're humoring me and going to the hospital. Or I'm taking the fob for your gym away."

Stephanie gasped. "You wouldn't!" He raised an eyebrow at her. She sighed. "You would. Fine…I'll go to the damn torture chamber—I mean hospital."

Ranger chuckled. "Babe. You never disappoint." He tipped her chin up and kissed her.

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**Please review! You'll make me smile lots! :-D Promise!**


	42. Chapter 42

**AN: Hiya! Hope everyone's week is going pretty well! It's almost over so hopefully your weekends are fabulous! Thank you for all your wonderful reviews! They mean the world to me! :-) We only have one more chapter to go after this!**

**Disclaimer: I don't own them, nor profit from them, just play! :-)**

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**Rediscovery**

**Chapter 42**

Ranger gently moved Stephanie's chin to the side so he could get a look at the bruises on her throat. He growled as he saw the darkened skin. Even with the little light they were getting from the flood lights he could see they were going to be darker yet. Lifting his head, he saw Bruce being taken to a car by two of his men. His lips curled up into a small smile at the sight of the other man.

"Babe." He shook his head kissing her forehead and holding her to him again, being mindful of her wrist.

"Hm?" Stephanie looked over and saw Bruce shooting her daggers from inside the car. She giggled. "He deserved it."

"Deserves a lot more than that." Ranger said softly.

"Yeah." She nodded. "But maybe he can become someone's bitch in jail. Then he'll see how it feels to be raped over and over again."

"Babe!"

Stephanie leaned her head back to look at him. She knew she surprised him with the level of harshness she had spoken with. "He raped Cindy over and over. Every time she was sent back. All because she fought for her life. Because she wanted to live on her terms, not the terms someone paid for. And Kaylee…god…I can't even imagine the kind of terror he might have put her through when he found her." Stephanie shook her head and buried her face in Ranger's chest for a moment, inhaling his scent. The familiarity of it calmed her. "He deserves whatever he gets for all the women he's hurt."

Ranger couldn't disagree with her. Instead, he just rested his chin on top of her head and closed his eyes for a moment, reveling in the fact that Stephanie was safe in his arms and wasn't hurt more than what she was.

"I scared you." Stephanie said matter-of-factly from the cocoon of his embrace.

"Yes." He admitted. "But I can't begin to describe how proud I am that you remembered the wire. The moment Hal realized it was on, he called us."

"You heard everything then?"

"Up until the wire gave out, which happened right after Diane realized Pen is pregnant."

"Oh, poor Lester." Stephanie sighed. "We fought her. At first she came down by herself to get Pen out of the cell. She said she called a doctor and was going to have the baby taken care of. None of us would let Pen out of there. She threatened to shoot us, but Mary Lou called her on the fact that we couldn't be sold if we were dead. So Diane left then came back with her thugs."

Ranger recalled the moment he had seen her being held down by two men. "It took two of them to hold you."

"Yeah. She wouldn't let Bruce touch me." Stephanie let out a sound that was a cross between a snort and laugh. "Apparently she was afraid of what I would do to him."

His arms tightened. "Babe, when you taunted him into taking you, I'd never been more terrified and proud at the same time." She looked up at him questioningly. He continued, "You gave yourself up to keep Penelope safe. You protected them with your life. I would have done the same thing for any of my men when we were on missions together."

An agent came up to them and offered a blanket to help shield them from the soft rain. Ranger was about to wrap it around only Steph but seemed to think better of it and wrapped them both in it. He looked over at his cousin who was wrapping Penelope up tightly in the blanket. He couldn't help but chuckle when he saw the exasperated look Penelope was giving Lester. She looked like she was wrapped up like a caterpillar making his cocoon. Lester simply ignored the look and held her to him.

"Who would've thought?" Stephanie whispered to Ranger. "It took two Don Juans to tame each other."

"Babe, Don Juan was a man and Lester isn't gay, if you couldn't tell by the fact that he knocked up one of your best friends."

Stephanie looked at him, and narrowed her eyes in thought, then said. "It took a Don Juan and Don Juanita to tame each other?"

Ranger burst out laughing, drawing the attention of several people around him. For that one moment he could have cared less. Just having his lover back safely was the best thing in the world. Stephanie grinned at the sight of him laughing. It was beautiful.

She glanced around and saw Micah standing near them. She froze in Ranger's arms. He noticed the change in her stance and looked down at her. Following the direction of her gaze he saw Micah and nodded to him. Micah started walking over to them.

"Babe."

"Why isn't he being arrested?" She hissed at him.

"Babe, you need to hear him out." Ranger said. "Trust me. You want to listen to him."

Penelope saw what was going on and came over to them, followed shortly by Sheila and Mary Lou. Jace and Lester came up quietly.

Jace surprised all the girls when he held a hand out to Micah. "Thanks, Micah. I owe you."

"Ditto." Lester said holding out his own hand.

Ranger nodded his thanks and also held out a hand.

The four women gaped at the men. Stephanie found her voice first. "Wait a second! He held a gun on us and helped get us kidnapped!"

"Steph, if I can explain." Micah said.

"It better be a good explanation!" She snapped.

"Hush, Plum." Penelope said, leaning back against Lester's chest. "Let him talk."

"About a year and a half ago, some men came into my bar. They wanted to use one of my private rooms to have a small business meeting. Not thinking anything of it, I gave the okay." Micah began. "They started coming a couple times a week. I don't really come into the city all that much, so it took some time before I realized Dwayne Kazarra was one of the men coming in. When I did recognize him, I called Jace when I got the opportunity."

"It was a huge break we'd been looking for." Jace said. "If Micah hadn't called, we'd still be trying to find a way to infiltrate Kazarra's businesses."

"I let them bug the rooms they usually used." Micah continued. "Everett Kazarra started coming around as well. He started asking me to do favors. I tried to refuse him, but…" His voice trailed off and he ran a hand through his hair.

"But I asked him to accept." Jace said quietly. "I put him in a very difficult position, but he'd been able to get farther than anyone else had so far. We needed him in there. Kazarra wouldn't think anything of a reclusive bar owner."

"So I started doing little things. Nothing major to get myself arrested, but enough to earn his trust. Then one day four vivacious women walk back into my bar." He gave a soft sigh. "I half expected to see Kaylee bouncing in after the four of you. I found out that you, Steph, were starting to look into Kaylee's murder. I wanted you to find who did it. Kay deserved that much.

"One night, there was a meeting at the bar. I happened to be in the room when Derek mentioned making a comment to you about Kay's murderer not getting you too. Diane was there and was ripping him a new one for it, but it got my attention. I just didn't know how to get to you with that information. Next thing I knew, Everett is calling me saying he's got a special job for me. He needed you and Penelope taken care of. Apparently you were causing unnecessary problems for him."

"We hadn't even figured it out yet." Penelope pointed out.

"It wasn't about Kaylee's death." Jace said. "There was a lot of conversations going on in those meetings about you not cooperating when Dwayne was set to go to trial the first time. The fact that you and Steph are friends made things more difficult. It was pointed out by a few people that if they considered messing with Steph, they'd be bringing the wrath of Ranger Manoso on them." Jace nodded toward Ranger.

"Guess Everett didn't care about that by the time he sent you to take care of us." Stephanie told Micah.

"You know what, Plum?" Micah snapped suddenly. "You might be glad he called me. I saved your fucking life that way. He wanted me to kill the two of you. I managed to convince him that selling you would be more profitable."

"I…" Stephanie stared at him. In her mind, everything was swirling around. Micah had been in on Kazarra's operations, at least partially enough to get evidence that the FBI needed to take him down. Micah hadn't been the bad guy. He'd been the good guy planted in a bad situation.

"How does that work?" Mary Lou asked. "If he had sold us, it wouldn't have done a lot of good."

"It was a bit of a surprise when the cronie he sent with me told me that you and Sheila had been taken." Micah said. "Kazarra seemed to think ridding himself of any future interference was a good idea. But I knew I had bought a little time for all of you. Kazarra has a process before he actually sells the women he gets."

"Cindy told us a little." Sheila said.

Micah nodded. "We got to the beach house and found Pen and Steph. I saw the box behind the two of you. After we had dropped you off, I raced back to get the box and find out what it was."

"Everything Kazarra has had a hand in." Penelope said thinking of the contents. "God, how Kaylee uncovered all of that, I'll never know."

"It's all pretty incriminating." Micah agreed. "I got it to one of Ranger's men then had to head back because Everett was calling. On the way there, Jace called and told me you were wired, but hadn't figured out which estate you were at. At the time I wasn't even sure, but the moment I got there and could give any kind of clue to the men I was down there yelling at you, Steph. I wasn't going to let the four of you have the same fate as Kaylee."

_Solidarietas._

Stephanie stared at Micah for a long moment, then moved out of Ranger's embrace. Walking to Micah she wrapped her arms around him. "Kaylee would be _so _proud of you, Micah." She whispered in his ear. She hugged tighter, ignoring the pain in her wrist, when she felt him shudder.

"Ahem."

They all turned and saw a paramedic coming toward them. "The women need to be taken to the hospital to be looked over."

Stephanie sighed. "Alright, let's get the torture over with."

"Babe."

"Don't 'Babe' me." She stuck her tongue out at him as she turned to follow the paramedic. Ranger caught up to her catching her waist in his hands.

"Careful what you do with that tongue." He murmured in her ear.

She was about to make a reply when she caught sight of Ram. He was sitting next to Cindy by one of the ambulances waiting. He was holding her hand tenderly. Cindy was staring up at him with a look of awe.

"Oh, Carlos! Look!" She grinned and pointed at them.

Ranger just shook his head. "Get in the ambulance, Babe. And no plotting."

"I would never!"

/\/\/\/\/\

The ride to the hospital was uneventful, thankfully. Stephanie currently sat on one of the beds looking at her wrapped wrist. The doctor was hovering over her. "You should be happy, Stephanie, that it's not broken. You've just sprained it severely. If you don't mind me asking, what did you do?"

"I went Beowulf on this dude's ass." Stephanie replied without missing a beat. Ranger managed to hold his blank face in place, while across the room was a snort of laughter. Glancing over, Ranger saw Tank staring fixedly at the ceiling, clearly trying to keep from all out laughing.

The doctor stared at her dumbfounded for a moment then said. "Well. It's probably better than any time you've come in from being shot."

"There is that." Stephanie agreed. "So…can I leave now?" She started to hop off the bed.

"Not so fast." He stopped her. "A few things first. You've got to let your wrist heal so—"

"I know, I know." She sighed. "Keep it elevated above the heart as much as possible, ice it for 20-30 minutes every three to four hours for a few days, etc, etc."

"Sprained your wrist often?" The doctor asked dryly.

"I was a gymnast." She said as if it explained everything, and for her it did. Suddenly she pouted. "Oh damn." She looked at Ranger. "I suppose you're still gonna take my fob away."

"Only till your wrist is better." Ranger answered.

"Bet I could entice you to give it back." She batted her eyelashes at him playfully.

Ranger raised his eyebrows and gave his wolf-grin. Then Tank cleared his throat. "Dude, Bomber, there are others in the room!"

Stephanie waved a dismissive hand. "You know where the door is."

Tank laughed this time. "Good to see that spirit raging alive in you, Bombshell. Maybe you can work on seducing Ranger after we go see how our future Rangeman is?"

"I can do that!" Stephanie hopped off the bed.

"Babe. I'm hurt." Ranger wrapped an arm around her shoulders as they walked out of the room.

She smiled. "I'll make it up to you later. Promise."

They walked down the hall and found Sheila and Mary Lou waiting to hear about Penelope. Bobby had gone in with her and Lester because Lester was being overprotective and Penelope had had a feeling he would not be paying a lot of attention to the doctor. Therefore, Bobby came.

"No word yet?" Stephanie asked.

"No, but since they're confirming pregnancy we could be waiting for a bit." Mary Lou replied. "Especially since it's her first." Her face lit up as Lenny came rushing down the hall. She fell into his embrace quickly.

"Have you heard about Cindy?" Sheila asked Stephanie, who shook her head.

"No." She looked up at Ranger. He raised an eyebrow at her.

"Just a moment, Babe." He walked over to the nurses' station and used his charm to get the information he wanted. He came back to them. "Cindy is going to be here for a while. Derek and Diane did a good number to her. The doctors want to make sure there's no lasting damage."

"We can't leave her here alone." Stephanie said. "Especially with Derek not arrested!"

"Babe, he's already been caught. And you don't have to worry. I'm leaving two men to guard Cindy as long as she's here."

The doors opened and Penelope walked out grinning like crazy with Lester following close behind, the biggest grin on his face possible. Penelope got to them and said, "We're definitely pregnant!"

All the men took a step back as the women shrieked with joy and encased her in their arms. Tank, Bobby, and Ranger shared a look that said they would enjoy watching Lester squirm. It would be fun.

Jace came to the hall and motioned for Lester and Ranger. Knowing they were safe with Bobby and Tank, they went to meet with Jace. There were last minute things that had to be dealt with.

"I'm going to get something to drink." Lenny said to Mary Lou. "Do you want anything?" She nodded and gave her order, then all the girls gave their own.

They stood there hugging each other, grinning happily when a voice disrupted their moment. "God damn it, Cupcake! What the fuck have you managed to do now?"

Stephanie's face turned dark as she turned and faced Joe Morelli. Big Dog and Carl were behind him in uniform. She put her hands on her hips. "Excuse me?"

"This is why you should be locked in a house!" Morelli waved his arms. "You were nearly sold as a sex slave!"

"Bet she'd have lots of fun as Ranger's sex slave." Sheila whispered to Mary Lou loud enough for everyone to hear.

That only seemed to piss Joe off more. His face grew red. "You're coming home with me. Now! You'll fix things with your mother and make your father go back to his wife. Then you'll learn to cook and we're going to have babies! No more of this running around pretending to be something you're not!"

"Oh that's it!" Stephanie growled. She marched up to Joe and hit him as hard as she could across the face. She heard the crunch of bone.

"Dabbit! You bwoke by dose!" Joe yelled. "I'll habe you awwested for assault!"

"That is for tricking me into marriage!" Stephanie snapped. "How dare you think you're good enough to pretend being Ranger?"

Penelope casually strolled up to them. She looked at Joe, assessing him, then at Stephanie. "You're really fond of nose breaking today."

"Whatever works." She said shrugging.

"Well. Never let it be said I let you have all the fun." Penelope took her own fist and hit Joe right in the eye.

And before he could blink, one more fist met his face and a knee came to his groin. He fell to the floor, in pain gasping out, "I want all ob you awwested!"

Carl and Big Dog looked back at Tank and Bobby who were laughing so hard they were bracing themselves on their knees. The two cops simply looked back and forth between all of them, their mouths opening and closing. They weren't sure what to do at that point, especially with Ranger being in the same building.

Stephanie had pity on them. She smiled and held out her wrists. "Take me away, boys! My police record is long overdue for an update!" She marched past them waiting to be taken to the station.

They looked at Penelope. "We've had a long day." She followed Stephanie.

Mary Lou came up to them. "Where they go, we go."

Sheila grinned. "_Solidarietas!"_

Big Dog and Carl followed the women. Tank and Bobby could hear Carl say, "All we were doing was coming to see Eddie on our dinner break. He got knifed by a stupid punk."

"Oh, is he okay?" Stephanie asked.

"Yeah, but he'll be sorry he missed this." Big Dog replied.

"Hey, can we all share a car? We'll sit on laps!" Mary Lou exclaimed.

Lenny came back holding all the drinks he had gone to get. He looked around and only spotted Morelli in a heap on the floor and Bobby and Tank wiping tears from their eyes. He sighed. "What did they do now?"

/\/\/\/\/\

When they saw their women in the jail cell they couldn't do anything but smile. The four of them were sitting together. Hands were being held, arms were wrapped around one another. And collectively there was a bond of sisterhood on their faces.

Jace shook his head. "Morelli dropped the charges. Apparently word getting around that he got beat up by four women made him do some rethinking."

One of the cops came up to unlock the cell. Sheila walked up to Jace. "You know, I can see why Steph was more physical with her emotions. It was pretty liberating hitting him."

"Uh…" Jace slipped an arm around her waist. "Let's not make that a habit."

Mary Lou bounced up to Lenny. He grinned at her. "I didn't get a chance to tell you before I left for work this morning. I bought a Harley."

Her face lit up. "Oh my god! The kids are going to my parents all weekend! We'd better not see them until school is over Monday!" Lenny laughed and lead his wife out of cell.

Lester looked at Penelope. "Gorgeous."

"What?" She smiled at him and shrugged. "I'm hormonal. I can't be held accountable for my actions."

"Really?"

"Really. The baby made me do it." She nodded in all seriousness.

"Cuz, we're offline." Lester said.

"Have a good vacation." Ranger told them. He turned and faced Stephanie who was leaning against the entryway to the cell. "Babe."

"Batman." She grinned mischievously.

He pulled her close and whispered in her ear, "Your Gotham City is overdue for a complete invasion. It's going to be a _long _invasion."

"Oh yum." Stephanie moaned wrapping her arms around his neck.

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**Please take a second to Review! You'll make me smile a lot! :-D Promise!**


	43. Chapter 43

**AN: So, we're here. At the very end of the story :-) Thank you to everyone who read this! I hope all of you enjoyed it! To all of you who reviewed, you're wonderful! It's always exciting to see what people have to say (both good and bad!) or how what kind of constructive criticism they have to help the author! It's always appreciated and I loved hearing from all of you! So, without further ado...**

* * *

**Rediscovery**

**Epilogue**

_**18 Months Later…**_

The grill was getting warming up and the men hovered around it waiting for it to finish so they could begin their arguments of the best way to grill. The girls were laughing over in the sand as the newest edition to the group crawled delightedly across the blanket. The day was beautiful and the weekend was set to be just the same, and they'd decided they needed a break out of the city. Mary Lou and Lenny had left the boys with her mother, promising to call them every night. After the kidnapping, her sons had become fiercely protective, rarely letting their father have any time alone with her. Lenny tried to explain when they were packing that someday, they would want time alone with a woman, but they all claimed girls were gross.

"Oh, Penelope, she is just absolutely precious!" Ruth exclaimed as she sat down with them. Micah followed over and smiled at the nine month old little girl who giggled delightedly at him.

"Hello, lass." He said picking her up and tossing her in the air. She shrieked with laughter as he caught her. He studied the baby. Black hair with green eyes and the skin coloring of her father. In the sunlight, he could see the green shift from a light shade to a darker shade, showing Lester's eyes. Yep, he thought, she was going to be a heartbreaker when she got older. "Pen, you and Lester made one fine little girl."

"Yes, we did." Penelope grinned at her daughter as she was set back down.

Micah knelt beside her. "I brought her this." He held up the charm necklace that had been Kaylee's. After everything that happened, Stephanie had insisted on giving it back to him. "Perhaps the luck of the Irish will help her growing up. She'll need it with all the men being overprotective."

Penelope's eyes filled with tears as she smiled and kissed Micah on the cheek. "Thank you." She looked at Ruth. They hadn't had a lot of chances to really talk since the kidnapping, the trials and then Penelope's time was taken up with her newborn. Things had been extremely hectic, but Ruth understood. "We named her Kaylee Rose."

Ruth smiled fondly at her. "That was very sweet of you."

"We wanted to honor Kaylee and Lester's grandma Rosa." Penelope said.

"All of you honored my daughter when you brought her killer to justice." Ruth told them.

They fell silent reflecting on the last several months. The FBI had wasted no time in getting the Kazarras, and anyone associated with them, to trial. It had taken months to go through all the evidence, which included everything Kaylee had gathered before her murder. All the women had been called on to testify. Penelope had been a tad grumpy that she couldn't prosecute them herself, but was glad when all of them had been sentenced to life without possibility of parole.

The most intense moment for Penelope was facing her mother at the trial. In a cold detached voice, Penelope gave her testimony, answered questions and sported a blank face that could make any RangeMan proud. Lester had been waiting for her when she stepped down. He had been one hundred percent supportive and had given as much time as he possibly could, which was a lot since Ranger made sure Penelope always had a man on her while the trials were going on. During the trial, Diane had tried in vain to appeal to budding motherliness in Penelope, claiming to be a concerned parent. When the conversations aired and the jury heard everything Diane said, Penelope knew Diane would never see freedom again. She would make sure Diane never knew her granddaughter either.

As it was, the moment Lester's parents met Penelope they fell in love with her for taming their wild son and all but adopted her. The affection and love they showed her had been overwhelming but completely welcomed. The other excitement in the family happened when Carlos's parents met Stephanie. Now, Penelope and Stephanie were expected at all family functions no matter how big or small.

It made Stephanie think of her father who was happily divorced from her mother and was seeing a nice lady, who was much nicer to Stephanie than her mother had ever been. Helen still tried to call Stephanie occasionally to yell and berate at her, but she was rebuked by the receptionist at RangeMan and no one would give Helen Steph's cell phone number. Valerie had come to talk to Stephanie after the whole ordeal and the sisters were developing a better relationship. When Valerie had heard what her younger sister went through, the idea of her being sold and Val never getting to see her again made her rethink a lot of her attitudes toward her sister and in her own life. Needless to say, Angie and Mary Alice were blossoming a lot more as of lately.

Sheila and Jace had made Trenton their permanent home so they could be close to the rest of the girls. All of them got together at least twice a week. Sometimes with the men, sometimes without. Mary Lou was teaching dance avidly, and enjoying every minute of it. Jace was currently still trying to locate all the women who had been sold. The FBI was doing everything they could to try finding them and bringing them home.

All the women were brought out of their reverie when Kaylee's voice caught their attention. "Yo-yo up!"

Stephanie looked up and saw Carlos standing next to the blanket. Kaylee was sitting in front of him arms held up. She grinned. "Hello, Batman."

"Babe." He returned her look.

But Kaylee was determined not to be put off. "Yo-yo up!" With a bark of laughter, Carlos reached down and picked Kaylee up and walked toward the water.

Ruth leaned over. "She's speaking already?"

"She started speaking a couple months ago." Penelope smiled affectionately at her daughter as Carlos held her on her feet in the sand. She stomped in the water as it came sliding up the sand at her. "She says mama, da-da, yo-yo and a few others."

"And she calls Ranger yo-yo?" Ruth looked puzzled.

Stephanie laughed at the mock exasperation on Penelope's face. "It was Pen and Lester's fault. Since Penelope started her own firm, she had a major client meeting one day and couldn't find someone to take Kaylee. Lester was out in the field when she got to RangeMan. Carlos was the only she could find and handed Kay to him with her diaper bag and told him she'd be back in a few hours. Bear in mind, Ruth, that Carlos only answers the phone with 'yo,' and had been doing so all day because he had phone calls coming in."

"Needless to say," Penelope sighed on a laugh, "Lester and I met up at RangeMan later and found Kay sitting in Ranger's lap saying yo-yo over and over."

"That is too precious!" Ruth laughed. "I'm assuming she's the only one who gets away with it."

"Probably til Ranger and Steph finally have kids." Penelope said. Turning to Steph, she said, "Which I would appreciate if you could do soon. I'd like to shift the overprotectiveness of the Merry Men off my daughter."

Mary Lou and Sheila burst out laughing. Wiping tears from her eyes, Mary Lou said, "Pen, you're not going to shift anything. Any kids that Ranger and Steph have are going to be just as overprotected as Kay and any other babies you and Les add in."

"What I find interesting," Micah said as Jace and Lester joined them (Ram had declared the grill his), "Is that you two have a baby," he pointed at Lester and Penelope, "Yet, you and Ranger hop on off to Vegas and come back hitched!" He pointed at Stephanie this time.

Stephanie simply smiled and shrugged her shoulders looking down at her left hand where her rings sat. Two days after the trials were finally over, Carlos had flown them out to Vegas. On the plane, he proposed. It was Stephanie's idea to come back married. She never wanted a big wedding and decided if she was getting married in Vegas, she was damn well going to remember doing so. It was after the wedding that was a little hazy… but given the way they had woken up the next morning, she could guess what they had been up to.

When they returned, Stephanie told Grandma Mazur and let her go to town with the news. The next time she was in the police station dropping off a skip, she was hugged and congratulated. Before she had a chance to leave, she came face to face with Morelli. He took one look at her and turned to go the other direction. She was pretty sure he was still watching his back after his confrontation with Ranger. Lester had pulled her aside to show her the video feed from the conference room. She had wasted no time dragging Carlos up to the apartment on seven to show him exactly how much she liked that video.

"Don't worry," Lester chuckled, "Tia is already demanding to know when Carlos is giving her more grandbabies."

"And your mother wants to know when she can plan our wedding." Penelope teased.

"Do you know where Henry is?" Ruth asked. "I thought he said he was joining us tonight."

"He'll be here. He just had to go pick Cindy up, much to Ram's dismay." Sheila laughed.

During the trials, Cindy had been more instrumental than the other women because she knew the process they went through to sell women. Ram had taken on a big brother role toward her, which she ultimately felt grateful for. She told Stephanie later it was nice to have someone care for her, even if they were like a big brother. Ram had never had sisters, but he saw Cindy as such. So when Henry asked Cindy on a date, Ram wasted no time threatening his life if he even thought of hurting Cindy. Ruth and George had been invited to the outing because the girls wanted to keep them involved, and Henry wanted to introduce Cindy to them.

"Oh, they're stopping to see Kaylee." Mary Lou added. There was a somber moment as all of them thought of their lost friend and daughter. The girls had gone to the grave earlier in the day to talk to her and adorn the grave marker with flowers.

Carlos came back to the blanket with Kaylee who immediately clamored for her daddy's attention. Lester took his girl with a grin that had all the girls sharing smiles with each other. The tiny little bundle was being passed around by giant military men. What more could make their hearts sigh?

As the two men made themselves comfortable with their respected loves, Lester said, "You know there is only one thing that bugs me about this whole case."

"What's that?" Sheila asked. In the background they could hear the sound of a car pulling up. Henry had arrived.

"Morelli. How did he ever get the first DVD?" Lester asked. Every one turned to look at Stephanie.

She looked at all of them, her eyes narrowing in on Henry as he came around the corner of the house with Cindy, holding her hand gently. Henry looked over at her and winked. She returned the gesture and said, "Les, if I told you, I'd have to kill you."

"Aw, come on, Beautiful!" Lester groaned. "The case is over!"

"Let's just say it went to someone who would protect us as well as he would've protected his own sister." She answered.

"You know what." Penelope said suddenly, deciding to change the subject. "There's a cliff that looks awfully tempting. Ram! How long before the food is ready?" She shouted.

George and Ram had their head bent over the grill and at Pen's question they popped up and looked over at them. "About thirty minutes."

"Perfect." Penelope stood up and looked down at her friends. "Well? I'm not going alone."

Stephanie took off her wedding rings and handed them to Carlos. "Keep them safe for me?" She kissed him and stood, followed quickly by Sheila and Mary Lou.

Together the four of them walked up the beaten path to their cliff. They stopped at the tree where Pen and Steph had dug up all the information Kaylee had found. The story Kaylee had been working on, it turned out, had already been typed. It was found in the back of the portrait of them jumping off the cliff together. Jace had seen a smaller copy of the photo in the box and mentioned it to Stephanie, prompting her to study the larger copy until she decided to take it out of the frame. The piece had been written and completed, just never printed. In a final act of justice for Kaylee, Stephanie had gone to the local papers and convinced them to run the story.

"It's good that it's all over." Mary Lou sighed. "Looking over my shoulder was hard during the trial."

"We survived." Sheila agreed.

"We'll keep surviving." Penelope said.

"We'll keep living." Stephanie whispered. Bringing one of her hands to her mouth she placed a small kiss on the tips of her fingers and placed it on the tree, then walked to the edge of the cliff. The other three followed suit, kissing their fingers, touching to the tree then joining Steph at the edge.

"Are we ready?" Penelope grinned.

Taking each other's hands, Stephanie laughed and said, "_Solidarietas!" _

And they jumped.

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**Again, thank you to all of you who have followed along on this trip :-) It's been fun! Take a sec and leave me a review? It'll make me smile! Promise!**


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